Tactician in the Shadows
by Link015
Summary: Lyndis' Legion finds refuge in a small, abandoned castle. Problem is that it isn't that abandoned, one of their members is incapacitated, and they are under assault by the bandits they had hoped to avoid. What can they do now besides fight?
1. Have you heard of Vampires?

Chris: Oh my god! I'm not writing a humor fic this time!  
  
Farina: -=faints=-  
  
Rebecca: AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! -=runs around screaming=-  
  
Chris: Anyway, I got the idea for this fic from Mercury Gold, so some credit goes to her for making Assassin of the Night, a really good GS fic. Anyway, I don't think this is an Alternate Universe fic. It still follows the storyline of the game. And just read...Because you'll get it then. I usually don't write these types of fics so if I do anything weird, can you tell me?  
  
Mia: Yeah! Read already! Chris doesn't own Fire Emblem, Mercury Gold, and Golden Sun....I don't know why I mentioned the last two, but oh well. Oh yeah! It's in story format! Another thing that Chris hasn't done in a while. And he's going to be the tactician...For obvious reasons. And it's not a tactician/Lyn pairing. Heck, there probably isn't going to be a Tactician pairing in here.  
  
' '- thought  
  
" "- speaking

- location

* * *

'Huh...Where am I? The last thing I remember was fleeing from the mobs that were chasing me. Maybe I collapsed.' He opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. He was in a small, round tent that had a bed, which he was laying on, a small wooden table, a sword lying on the table, and some small chairs.  
  
"Are you okay?" An unknown person greeted him as he looked around. She had dark-green hair tied in a ponytail that fell to her waist, deep green eyes, and was wearing blue-green dress that was slit on one side. It was tied together with a yellow sash which was at her waist. "I found you unconscious on the plains. You were lucky that I came across to find you."  
  
"Huh? Thanks very much. Can I ask you your name? I need to express my thanks for saving me." He sat up on the bed and stood up. He was dressed in a dark, green cloak that covered most of his body and had short, black hair and brown eyes. "Uh, by the way, did you find a small blood-red pendant lying near me? It's really important to me. Uh, it's a family heirloom."  
  
"Oh, you mean this thing? It was lying near you. Here you go." She handed the pendant to the cloaked person who put it on his neck. "By the way, my name is Lyndis. You can call me Lyn." She held out her hand.  
  
"Thanks. It's nice to meet you, Lyn. My name is Chris. I must find some way to thank you." Chris said as he shook her hand. "Well, now that introductions are out of the way, why don't you tell me what you're doing here?"  
  
"Well-Wait, what was that sound? Let me go outside so I can check." Lyn said as she left the tent. A couple of seconds later she rushed back in and grabbed her sword. "Bandits. I've got to fight them. Stay here and I'll be back. And if I'm not--Well, you go on, okay?"  
  
"Hey, I can help." Chris replied.  
  
"Really? Can you wield a weapon?"  
  
"Umm...No, but I am pretty skilled at directing troops in battle. I might just be an apprentice at being a tactician, but I'm sure I can help in some way. Besides, I need to return the favor."  
  
"Well, then let's go and see if you're good enough." Lyn said as she left the tent. Chris followed her outside and joined up with her. He saw one bandit close-by who was wearing ragged shorts and no shirt. In the distance, he saw another bandit in front of a type of building.  
  
"Come on, Chris. Give me my orders. We will defeat this despicable scum!"  
  
Lyn took out her sword and ran up closer to the bandits. She readied her sword in a two-handed fighting stance and waited to see what the bandits would do. Chris ran up behind her and watched with a strange light in his eyes, almost like hunger. The bandit ran up to Lyn and swung his axe horizontally as he rushed her. The axe sliced across her arm and she winced in pain as a gash appeared on her arm.  
  
"You will pay for that, you bandit scum!" Her eyes were blazing with anger as feinted to the left and jabbed him in the chest. She pulled out her sword, now covered in blood, and slashed the bandit in the chest. He fell to the floor, his eyes glassy and blood slowly flowed out of his body. Lyn breathed heavily as he looked to Chris for his orders.  
  
"Hmm...Nice job, Lyn. But you seemed to be wounded. Do you have any healing potions that could help with that?  
  
"Well, I do have some Vulneraries. They should help a little." Lyn pulled out a small bottle filled with a clear liquid. She drank some and instantly, her wound closed and she put away the bottle. "Now I'm ready. Let's go for that last one and then we'll be finished."  
  
Chris nodded. "Okay, now that we have only one bandit left. It should be easy to dispose of him. You're a better fighter than I thought, Lyn. Much better...Anyway, let's go towards that last bandit!"  
  
They both rushed to where the last bandit was standing. He was decked out in black leather armor and carried a big axe that had numerous scratches. He also wore a black headband. "Grr....You will rue the day you fought against Batta the Beast!" He charged Lyn and managed to slice her across the chest. She gasped with pain as he laughed. "Just a puny, little girl and a short, shrimpy kid! Do you honestly believe that you can defeat me?!"  
  
Lyn's eyes flashed with anger and she looked at Chris. His eyes were smoldering with rage at being called shrimpy. "Lyn...Do whatever you want with him. He's going to die. Even if I have to kill him myself."  
  
Lyn nodded and held her sword in front of her. 'Just concentrate. Let the winds guide you to victory.' Her eyes flashed and suddenly she moved forward and struck at three different directions. She struck Batta from behind, to the left and right, and on the front all at the same time. He fell, dead from the many wounds that Lyn had inflicted on him.  
  
"Good work, Lyn. Now that that's done, we should rest for a while. Come on, here's another Vulnerary for you to drink. He made a pretty nice gash across your chest." Lyn nodded her thanks and drank it. Her wounds sealed up again and she walked back with him to her tent.  
  
"Thanks. While there is still time, why don't we exchange stories? You tell me why you were unconscious on the plains, and I'll-I'll tell you about my past." Lyn said.  
  
"Okay, works with me. But first, I have to ask...Have you ever believed in vampires?"

* * *

Chris: How about that? I hope it was good! This is mainly a prologue, though. Haven't written a fic like this in a long time! So, please tell me if I'm doing anything wrong and R&R! And the next chapter will be longer, I promise!  
  
Farina: -=still unconscious=-  
  
Rebecca: -=still screaming=-  
  
Mia: Okay....Anyway, what Chris said. This is one of the few serious fics that he has written. But I'm sure he'll do better if there is anything wrong. 


	2. The Fight Outside of Bulgar

Chris: Yay! I got reviews although I thought this chapter wasn't that good! Woo hoo!  
  
Mia: Right...  
  
Chris: Anyway, that was mainly a prologue. Now, the story might branch off from the original a bit. It's not going to be an exact copy. The tactician has a certain secret...Ooooh....And I need to respond to reviewers!  
  
**Angel of Fate1** - Thanks for reviewing! And I'll try to update as much as I can. And I hope you post that new story soon. I want to read it!  
  
**maskedstranger1990** - Don't worry, it's not going to be a variation of the whole game. It branches off soon. Yeah, and it starts here...Kind of.  
  
**Sword of Seals** - Yay! Someone who sympathizes with me! Anyway, I hope we both do well with our fics!  
  
Farina: Wow...Three people. I thought this chapter sucked.  
  
Rebecca: Why?  
  
Farina: I wasn't in it!  
  
Mia: You know what, shut your pie hole!  
  
Farina: You want to say that again?!  
  
Chris: Not again....Anyway, I don't own Fire Emblem.  
  
' ' - Thoughts  
  
" "- Speaking  
  
- Location

* * *

"Vampires? Of course I don't believe in them! They're just children's tales! But why do you ask?" Lyn said.  
  
"Huh? Of, it's just relevant to my story...Of why I was unconscious on the plains." Chris replied.  
  
Lyn started laughing. "You've got to be kidding me! Vampires aren't real!"  
  
"No, they are. I mean it. I've seen them. And I've seen what normal people do to them..." His eyes held a sad look.  
  
"Wha? You've got to be kidding me. I'd need some proof before I will believe in some fairy tale."  
  
Chris stood up. He paced a little and finally faced Lyn. "Fine...You want proof? You got it. But first, you must promise to not attack me."  
  
Lyn looked up at him, her face full of confusion. "Well, sure. But why?"  
  
"This is why..." He closed his eyes, muttered some strange words, and opened his eyes again. "You got your proof....I'm a vampire. Well, half-human, half- vampire. But it's not like that matters to people." He opened his mouth and Lyn could clearly see his fangs.  
  
"Wait, you're a vampire?! But, don't vampires have wings? And aren't they weak against the sun?"  
  
"Hah hah hah....You've been reading those fairy tales. Real vampires don't have vulnerabilities like that. I'm living proof. Maybe the fact that I'm part human has something to do about it. As for the wings, they only appear when you want them to." He pulled out the pendant that Lyn had retrieved for him. "This pendant helps me with some of my powers. It is a family heirloom, but I've found out that it also amplifies shadow powers."  
  
Lyn jumped up. "Wait, if you're a vampire, why aren't you sucking my blood or something? I mean, isn't that what vampires do? And what about the conversion? I heard that you have to give vampire blood to someone in order for them to become a vampire."  
  
Chris looked surprised. "Who taught you all of this? The normal person isn't this knowledgeable about us. And you're right about the conversion stuff. Someone has to drink a vampire's blood in order to become one. As you know, being a vampire does give you certain benefits...Immortality, strength, speed...And as for the blood thing...I guess being half-human stems the urge for blood."  
  
"My-my father taught me all about them. It was a part of my tribe's history. But...The tribe was killed by the Taliver bandits. They poisoned the drinking water...and at the night, they crept in and attack. My father saved me but he wasn't able to make it. I-I was the only one left..." Tears crept in her eyes. "But I'll have my revenge...Some day."  
  
"Ouch...That must really suck....But I guess that I should be leaving...I don't think people will trust a half-vampire...Considering the horrible history vampires have. Well, it was fun being with you. I'll see you later." Chris opened the tent flap, and started to leave.  
  
"Wait!" Lyn grabbed his arm and stopped him. "I trust you. If you were going to betray me, you would have done it during the battle. You are pretty knowledgeable about the nature of war, and I would like to have a friend while I was traveling."  
  
"Well, okay. Just as long as you don't attack me during the night. I haven't had much faith in people ever since that last incident in the village. And it was fun being with you. What the heck, I'm in. And I promise not to suck your blood. I can control the urges. You don't have to worry about me converting you either. The person has to be willing to become a vampire before it will work." He hefted a pack that was slung over his shoulder. "Well, let's go!"  
  
Lyn nodded. She picked up her sword, vulneraries, and a couple of personal possessions and left with Chris. They traveled through the plains, occasionally fighting bandits who decided that Lyn looked like an easy mark. They were easily convinced otherwise, and they continued on. One night, they discussed their next destination while setting up camp.  
  
"I think we should go to Ryerde first. I heard that they were holding a tournament. We could get some good training there." Chris suggested. He was still wearing his dark-green cloak, but also had a white shirt and blue pants on. His pendant shone a deep red as it hung from his neck.  
  
"Well, we are running out of food and supplies. I think we should head for Bulgar first. We can pick up some extra rations and equipment there, and then we can head for Ryerde." Lyn replied. "But I was wondering, how are you faring? I haven't seen you drink any blood lately. Won't that affect you? I don't want you to get sick. Maybe you can drink a little bit of my blood."  
  
Chris shook his head furiously. "No! I can't drink your blood. Vampire fangs are coated in something that keeps the wound open. So you would eventually die from the lack of blood. I can't do that. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. The loss of blood does affect me a little, but it's not serious. As for the travel plans, it's okay. We'll go to Bulgar first. Maybe we'll come across something."  
  
"Well, if you say so. Tomorrow we'll head for Bulgar, all right?" Lyn said.  
  
"Fine with me. We've had a hard night. Let's go to sleep." He replied as he laid out his sleeping bag. They both decided to sleep in their traveling clothes, because they were in the open, and who knew what kind of people were out here. He lay down in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes.  
  
Lyn nodded, yawned, and lay down in her sleeping bag. She thought, 'Chris...He's a very good friend. I hope we'll be able to travel together some more. But about this vampire stuff. What if it gets out of control? I just hope he'll be able to control it. And maybe he'll reveal more of his past to me.' Lyn sighed, and closed her eyes, falling asleep instantly.  
  
Chris, however, was plagued with visions the moment he tried to fall asleep. He saw himself being attacked by villagers wielding swords and axes.  
  
"Get out of here, you half-human freak!"  
  
"You don't belong here!"  
  
He dreamed of himself getting chased away from village after village, not finding any that would accept him for who he was. But as these dreams disappeared, another came up in its place. This time, he saw himself as he was now, an amateur tactician with his friend, Lyn. However, something was different. His eyes seemed weird. Then, in one quick movement, he saw himself bite into Lyn's neck, and slowly suck out her blood. The dream Lyn gasped, and slowly closed her eyes as her lifeblood was slowly being taken away from her. The dream Chris dropped Lyn and left her to die.  
  
Chris gasped and woke up. He sat up and his face was covered with sweat. He breathed heavily and glanced at Lyn. 'Whew...It was just a dream...I hope that doesn't happen in real life...Maybe it's just because of the lack of blood. Maybe at Bulgar I can pick up some rare meats. Those should have enough blood to sustain me...I hope.' He sighed, and went back to sleep, hoping that there wouldn't be any more dreams to haunt him.  
  
Lyn woke up and saw that Chris was already making a small meal out of the rations they had left. She stood up, brushed herself off, and walked to him "Hey Chris. Did you have a good sleep?"  
  
"Huh?" Chris looked up and saw Lyn looking at him. "Oh, yeah. I had a good sleep. Since we don't have a fire up, it's mainly going to be some cold oatmeal. Hope that's okay with you."  
  
"Sure. Are you sure you had a good sleep? You seem a little pale." Lyn asked.  
  
"No, it's nothing. Nothing's wrong." He said. 'I can't tell her about that dream...'  
  
Lyn looked at him as if she didn't really believe him. "If you say so." She took her bowl and began to eat. Thirty minutes later, they were ready to leave. All the stuff had been packed up in bags, and they were full of energy. They set out for Bulgar, not knowing what they would find there.  
  
Bulgar  
  
A red-haired man was dragging a brown-haired man away. The man with the brown hair was blowing kisses to the local innkeeper.  
  
"Good bye, my love! May we meet again, you fragile cherry blossom!" he said.  
  
His partner smacked the brown-haired man on the head while he was dragging him.  
  
"Honestly Sain! Do you have to woo every single girl in this town?! Remember! We have a mission to do, and I'm not going to have it bungled because of you!" The red-haired man said.  
  
"Of course Kent! All of the girls are just so beautiful! Why, I must greet them all so they can all know how beautiful they are! And I'm not going to bungle this! You can count on me!" Sain replied.  
  
"Yeah, I can count on you when there are no ladies around. Now, come on! Lord Hausen has entrusted us with finding someone! And we're going to complete it!" Kent said.  
  
"Come on, Kent! This is a huge city! What are the odds of bumping into this person?! Why- Hello lady." He said. He had just bumped into a lady with long-green hair and green eyes. She has a light-teal dress that was slit to the waist. She was accompanied by a young boy with dark hair and brown eyes. He had a strange looking pendant, and a dark-green cloak.  
  
Lyn looked at him. "Umm...Hello there. Is it customary to greet strangers this way?"  
  
"No, sorry madam. My partner is just being courteous...and stupid! I'm really sorry." Kent apologized as he grabbed Sain by the collar.  
  
He broke free and held Lyn's hand. "Welcome to the city of Bulgar! I am Sain of the Caelin Knights! The land of men with courtesy and strength!"  
  
Lyn took her hand away and folded her arms across her chest. "Sure...more like the land of callous oafs with loose tongues. Come on Chris, let's go. We have no more words to say to this jerk." She left with her partner and they were quickly swallowed up by the big crowds.  
  
"Dang, another rejection. Maybe next time. Wait, where are our horses?" Sain mused.  
  
"Sain! You forgot where the horses were? Honestly! I shouldn't have brought you. It's almost not worth it! You're just lucky that you're skilled with the lance." Kent admonished.  
  
"Of course! The lance is the weapon of jousting, made to capture the hearts of young maidens!" he said.  
  
"Sigh..." Kent slapped his hand to his head, and dragged Sain along. "We're so lucky that I remember where the horses are. Come on."  
  
They quickly walked along the path, where they saw the woman and boy they had met earlier. Kent and Sain quickly ran over to them.  
  
"Oh, it's you again. Are these your horses? They're blocking the road." Lyn said.  
  
"Yes. We're sorry to have bothered you." Kent said as he led the horses away.  
  
"You're pretty courteous, compared to your friend over there." She pointed at Sain as Kent let out a chuckle.  
  
Kent looked into her eyes and started a bit. "Hey, wait...You remind me of someone."  
  
"KENT! I saw her first! That's not fair!" Sain whined.  
  
"I take that back. All of you are pigs! Come on, Chris. Let's get out of here." Lyn stalked off in a huff, Chris closely following her.  
  
"Sain! You dumbass! I was not trying to hit on her! I think she might be the person we're looking for! Idiot! I'm going to get you back for this!" Kent mounted his horse, and quickly gave chase after Lyn.  
  
"Really? Wow, I didn't know that. Oh well, maybe I can win that fair lady's heart now!" said Sain as he also mounted his horse and followed Kent.  
  
Kent and Sain had just exited the city of Bulgar when they noticed Lyn and Chris in front of them. There also seemed to be a bandit talking to her. They urged their horses a little bit more, and finally reached Lyn when the bandit she was talking to ran off. Another four bandits appeared from the forests, and Lyn noticed Kent nearby.  
  
"Well, look who it is. Those two knights from earlier. What do you want?" she asked.  
  
"I'm sorry for my partner's actions last time. My name is Kent. Can we assist you somehow?" Kent replied.  
  
"Well, thanks. We sure could use your help. I'm Lyn, and my partner here is Chris. He's the tactician. He's really good at it, also." Lyn said.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Chris. Well, you have us to command. My name is Kent, and this is my partner, Sain." Kent said.  
  
"How are you doing?" Sain asked.  
  
"We're ready for your orders." Kent said and took out his sword.  
  
Chris scanned the battlefield, seeing where everyone should go so they could defeat everyone. Sain, however, rode in front of him and jumped off. "Chris, our most honored tactician, can you please grant me the honor of striking first? It will be great to show off my prowess to the lovely Lyn!"  
  
Chris looked at him, and sighed. "Fine, you can go. But make sure you hit him! I don't need you screwing up!"  
  
"Of course!" Sain rode over to the closest bandit, his lance in hand. He flashed Lyn a quick smile and tried to impale the bandit on his lance. However, he missed, and as he gasped in surprise, the bandit struck back and hit him across his arm. Luckily for him, his armor took out more of the force from the blow, but he still got hit and some blood spurted out of the wound. "Damn it!"  
  
Kent screamed at Sain. "Sain! What are you doing?! You know that axes have a major advantage against lances! Where the heck is your sword?!"  
  
Sain smiled sheepishly as he dodged a strike from the bandit. "I'm kind of busy now! But uh...I forgot to get one. I used the money to buy lunch for a wonderful lady that I saw in the city. And the lance is cooler, right?"  
  
Kent sighed and shook his head. He turned to Chris. "Honored tactician, please let me make up for Sain's mistake. I didn't think he would waste all of his money! But, he is lucky because I bought an extra sword. I'm always prepared for this type of situation."  
  
The black-haired youth nodded and looked back at where Sain was trying to strike with his lance. "Sure, he'll need some help. Go on. I'm sure you'll do fine." Kent rode up to where Sain was having trouble and hit the bandit across the chest with his sword. He tossed his spare sword at Sain, who caught it. "Sain. Do another stunt like that, and I have a feeling the tactician won't be so happy with you."  
  
Sain grinned a little. "Thanks Kent! And don't worry, I'll do better next time. You can count on me!" He looked at where the bandit had fallen. "I guess it's harder in real life than in the training field. Let's go help Lady Lyn!" He rushed off to where Lyn was fighting another bandit that had creeped up on her. Kent sighed and rode after him. 'Why can I never stay angry with that rogue? Eh, it's never boring, that's for sure.'  
  
Lyn was in a fight with a ferocious bandit who reeked and had a giant axe. She wrinkled her nose as the bandit tried to strike again. She blocked the blow with her sword, and moved to the offensive. She slashed left and right, hoping to find some opening in the bandit's defense. He managed to block all but one of her shots, and fell dead as her sword pierced his body. Sain rode up but stopped when he saw that the bandit was dead. He whistled and gazed at Lyn. "You're a good fighter."  
  
She looked back at him and answered, "Yeah, people from the plains need to learn how to fight. So they will be able to hunt and take care of everyone..." She sniffed a little. "Nevermind, let's go get the rest of the bandits, okay?"  
  
Sain nodded and rode off to the north, where another bandit lay in waiting. Kent followed his partner, holding his sword. Chris walked up to Lyn. "Are you okay? No trouble, right?"  
  
"Yeah." She winced. "I guess he did get in a good strike, but I'm still okay. Come on, let's get that bandit near the bridge." She started to run off in that direction. Chris shook his head and followed. "I guess I'm not the only person who lies about his condition."  
  
North of where Lyn and Chris were, Sain and Kent were fighting the third bandit. They rode circles around him and the bandit became confused as he tried to hit one of them. Kent saw Sain looking at him and he nodded. Sain nodded back and prodded his horse closer to the bandit. He swung with his sword, but it was blocked by the bandit's axe. From behind the bandit, Kent rode up and sliced into him. The bandit's eyes glazed over and he fell to the ground. "Good work, Sain. I guess I can count on you. That was just like we practiced."  
  
"Yeah, it worked perfectly. Come on, Kent. Let's head for the leader. I bet you Lyn is already there." Sain replied as he booted his horse forward again.  
  
"I'm not going to take that bet. We both know how strong she is. Let's go." Kent answered as he quickly caught up.  
  
While Kent and Sain were fighting the third bandit, Lyn was attacking the fourth. Chris, since he couldn't use a weapon, stayed behind and hoped that the bandit wouldn't notice him. Lyn started the battle out first, lunging with her sword. She struck at the bandit's left side, but it was deflected. She staggered a little, but quickly readied herself in a fighting stance. The bandit tried to return the favor by striking at Lyn, and was rewarded by making a cut across her chest. He grinned and advanced some more. Lyn retaliated by unleashing a flurry of strikes towards the bandit. Almost all of them hit, and the bandit staggered back, and then fell. Lyn placed her hand over her chest, trying to stop the blood flow. Chris stepped out and handed Lyn a Vulnerary. "That was a tough battle. Good thing you won."  
  
Lyn nodded, and gratefully accepted the potion. She drank it almost immediately, and her wound closed. "Thanks. Now let's get the leader! I'm pretty sure it was the guy who was talking to me earlier." She ran off with Chris following her.  
  
Sain and Kent reached the leader at the same moment as Lyn and Chris. The leader cursed and stepped back a little. "Gah, you have defeated my comrades! I, Zugu, will destroy you all!"  
  
"Listen, he's only one person. You can all gang up on him and gain the advantage." said Chris.  
  
Lyn, Kent, and Sain nodded and slowly closed in on Zugu. He started to sweat a little, but growled and brandished his axe. "You might kill me, but I'm going to take one of you with me!" He charged at Lyn. She quickly dodged and watched as Zugu's axe buried itself in the dirt. He quickly pulled it out and rushed her again. Lyn moved to the left and slashed him with her sword. He cursed again, and pulled out his axe again. Kent and Sain were positioned behind him, and struck at the same time. He roared in anger and pain, and tried one last swing at Lyn. The blunt end caught her in the head, and she fell unconscious. He smiled, and finally collapsed.  
  
"Lyn!" Kent and Sain ran to Lyn at the same time. She had a small wound on her forehead, but other than that, she was fine. Chris walked up and prodded Zugu's dead body with his foot. He searched him to see if there was any clue to why he knew her name. Finding nothing, he turned back to Kent and Sain. "You guys aren't too bad at fighting. But why did you come here?"

* * *

Chris: How was that? I hope it was better. Not that experienced with these types of stories. And if I'm somehow making the tactician a Gary-Stu, tell me. I don't think he's one, but that's just me. And please R&R!  
  
Mia: Yeah! Chris needs support! Because I made a bet with Farina that he would get 5 reviews for this chapter! Help him out! 'Cause then I win 5 bucks!  
  
Farina: I'm not in it! So therefore, nobody is going to review.  
  
Rebecca: Sigh.... 


	3. Night Strike

Chris: Wow...Six reviews. And one dissed Farina so bad.  
  
Farina: I'm going to kick his ass.  
  
Mia: After you pay me five bucks! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! I won the bet!  
  
Farina: You suck. -=hands Mia 5 dollars=-  
  
**Sonicfreak2004:** Farina: I've got something to say to you! You suck! Chris: She's just a little angry. Ignore her. And sure, the tactician being a vampire is a little odd, but it can still fit with the story.  
  
**Angel of Fate1:** Thanks Hitomi! Yeah, I'm getting pretty good at writing serious fics....Weird...  
  
**Onionbreath002:** Neither did I, but I proved us both wrong!  
  
**maskedstranger1990:** Thanks. I'll try updating as soon a possible and trying to keep the story interesting.  
  
**Sword of Seals:** Thank you! Yeah, this story is my only good serious fic....  
  
**Lord Slasher:** Thanks man! I got more than 5 reviews and it started with you! Thanks!  
  
Chris: Oh yeah. I'm having an OC in this story...Because I just thought it up and it would work well. Don't worry, this character has nothing to do about saving the world. She's just another character that joins the party. Nothing new, nothing special.  
  
- Location  
  
" "- Speaking  
  
' ' - Thoughts  
  
--- - dream sequence thing

* * *

"Well, our lord, Marquess Caelin, received a letter from his daughter Madelyn. It said that she was living happily with her husband in the plains. It also said that they had a daughter, and her name was Lyndis." Kent said.  
  
"Lyndis?! You mean Lyn? The Lyn that I've been traveling with?" Chris asked in surprise.  
  
"Yep, we believe that she is the grand-daughter of Marquess Caelin. She has her eyes. I was going to tell her this when my foolish partner here decided to butt in." Kent replied, jabbing Sain in the stomach.  
  
Sain winced, grinning a little. "You've got to admit, she's pretty hot. I should know. I've got an eye for beauty."  
  
"Yeah right. You mean that you've got an eye for every single lady in the world." Kent retorted.  
  
Sain chuckled. "Boy, do you know me. Hey, it pays to be my partner. Maybe you'll find a girl for yourself." He quickly proceeded to give Kent a noogie.  
  
Chris shook his head, laughing a little. 'There's been so little to laugh at lately.' He picked up Lyn's unconscious body. "Hey guys. I'm glad to see that you're having fun, but we need to set up camp. It's getting late, and someone needs to watch out for Lyn." Looking one last time at the dead body of Zugu, he prodded it one more time with his foot. The body rolled over and a small slip of paper fell out. He quickly pocketed it.  
  
Kent shrugged Sain off of himself and nodded. "I'm glad to see that someone here has a sense of duty. Let's set up camp here. This place has ample cover for a small campground. Come on, Sain. Let's get our packs."  
  
Sain ginned sheepishly." Uh...Kent...I left our packs at the inn that we were staying in. I'll just go get them." He ran off before Kent could whack him on the head. As he was running, he looked behind him and stuck his tongue out at Kent. However, he tripped on a tree root and landed flat on his face.  
  
Kent sighed. Chris turned to him. "Is it always like this with him around?"  
  
Kent nodded. "At least it's never boring. Come on, Chris. Let's set up camp and get ready for tomorrow." He proceeded to make a small campfire while Chris gently set Lyn next to it. He let out a small gasp and his face contorted in pain, but he quickly got it back under control. However, Kent noticed this and asked, "Are you okay? You seem a little pale."  
  
Chris quickly nodded and turned away. "It's nothing...Just a little spasm of pain. Nothing to be worried about." He strode to a nearby tree and gazed at the stars. '...The lack of blood is affecting me now...Even Kent noticed...I'm going to have to do something.'  
  
Kent shrugged again and turned back to the fire, warming up his hands. Sain quickly ran up with their packs or rations and sleeping bags. "Hey Kent! Did you be a proper old spoilsport while I was gone?!" He dropped the bags and sat next to the fire also, his gaze drifting to Lyn. "She was hurt pretty bad, huh?"  
  
Kent nodded. "Yes, she was lucky that the bandit leader didn't get a stronger shot at her."  
  
Sain yawned and unrolled his sleeping bag. "I'm tired...You take first watch, okay? Wake me up for second watch." He crawled inside and quickly fell asleep. Kent looked at him, and looked at where Chris was. But, for some reason, Chris wasn't there anymore. Kent sighed and tossed another stick in the fire. "It's probably something that tacticians do or something."  
  
While Kent was stoking the fire, Chris was taking a walk across the fields. He knew it was dangerous, but he didn't care. His thirst for blood was slowly inhibiting his common sense. He looked that the paper again and read its message out loud. "You must bring a teal-haired girl named Lyndis for me. I will pay you handsomely and you will get anything you want. Signed, Lord Lundgren." He shook his head and placed it in his pocket. 'Probably some Lycian noble who has a gasbag of an ego.' He continued walking in a daze until he heard the sounds of fighting. He rushed over to where the sound was, and he saw a teenage girl trying to fend of three bandits. The girl was wearing a strange garment. She had a teal kimono-type outfit that was tied to her waist by a light-red sash. Her brown hair was flying out behind her as she parried stroke after stroke that was aimed at her.  
  
"Look at her, boys! We'll get some pleasure today! I get first dibs!" The first bandit was drooling with lust as he moved to strike the girl again. His cronies laughed gruffly at his comment and moved to attack her. The girl backed up, fear apparent on her face as she put up her sword to block a shot aimed at her chest. The other bandits knocked her down and chuckled.  
  
"It's time to have some fun! Come on, girlie!" the leader said.  
  
She struck out last time with her sword, and managed to slash a deep gash on the second bandit. He gasped and fell to the ground. The leader turned back to the girl. "You've killed Grant! That's it, pleasure or no pleasure, you're going to die!" He kicked her in the stomach and then kicked her in the head. Finally, he got ready for the killing blow. Suddenly, though, his arms went limp and there was another figure behind him.  
  
Once Chris had seen the blood leak out of the bandit's body, his self- control vanished. His fangs grew and he rushed to where the leader was. His only thought was blood. His mind kept on screaming the word. He bit into the leader, and savored the bitter taste as blood ran down his throat. The girl was lying on the ground, bleeding profusely and breathing shallowly. The last bandit was staring at Chris, slack-jawed. "Y-Y-Y-You're a monster!" He quickly ran off. Chris dumped the drained body of the bandit leader and chased after him.  
  
"Nobody can outrun a master of the shadows..." He quickly caught up to the last bandit and snapped his neck. He quickly proceeded to drain the body of blood and returned to where the girl lay. His self-control returned and his fangs retracted. He kneeled next to her and felt her pulse, which was really weak. "She's going to die if I don't do something..."  
  
The girl coughed and opened her eyes. She saw Chris kneeling over her and quickly tried to get away. However, she cried out in pain because of the gash in her wound. "What do you want?!"  
  
"I heard you in a fight with those bandits and I decided to help. I was able to take down the other two bandits. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to stop you from getting wounded. It's really bad...You're probably going to die, and the nearest church is too far away. I forgot to bring any healing items also. There is one more way, though." Chris sighed.  
  
"Please. Tell me. I don't want to die just yet. There are just so many more things to learn and to find. And many more skills I wish to obtain. What is this other way you're talking about?" the girl asked.  
  
"Hmm...Very well. The other way is to drink my blood. I'm a half-vampire. If you drink it, you will survive, but you'll get turned into a vampire. A half-vampire to be precise. And you're going to have to travel with me. You're going to have to learn how to control some things. So, what is your choice?"  
  
She coughed up blood and grinned. "Very well. I accept. As I say, it's just another adventure! By the way, my name is Heather."  
  
"Charmed. My name is Chris. This will only take a second or two." He pulled out a dagger from beneath his robes and held his left arm above Heather's mouth. He quickly made a small cut there, and the blood dripped into her mouth. He covered the cut with some cloth and looked at Heather. "So, how is it?"  
  
She swallowed and grimaced. "It's really bitter. But I don't feel any different. Just weak and tired." However, as soon as she said those words, a dark-purple glow emanated from her body. She blinked her eyes in surprise. "What?! What is this?" She looked at her arm, and noticed that the wound was gone. She felt refreshed and more alive than ever before. She struggled up, picked up her sword and put it into the sheath which was tied around her waist. The glow disappeared and she looked at Chris. "Is that it?"  
  
Chris nodded. He tucked the dagger in his cloak. "You're a half-vampire now and you need to come with me. There are many things you're going to have to learn about your new body. Just one question, why did you accept my help? The average person would have screamed and tried to kill me."  
  
"Well, I've always believed in vampires. I don't know. I just do. I've read many studies and there is lots of evidence in the existence of vampires. As for the killing you part, you didn't kill me. If you didn't care about me, you probably would have just killed me along with the rest of those bandits. So, you seemed trustworthy and I believed you. And now you've saved my life, and for that, I'm grateful. Thanks."  
  
"No problem. Come with me, there's a camp set up nearby. Those people are my friends, and you can trust them. Just don't give into any urges for blood just yet, or else I might have to kill you. I've worked hard to gain the trust of them and I don't want to lose it." He headed back for the direction of the camp. "Heather, what weapons are you skilled with?"  
  
She ran up to him and followed him. "I'm mainly skilled with the sword, although I have some experience with the bow. That's it though. What's this group you travel with like? Vampires?"  
  
"No. All of them are full-humans. They're really nice and they make a good team. Now hurry up, they might get suspicious because I was gone so long." He started to run to the camp, Heather quickly following.  
  
They reached the camp an hour or two later. Kent was still on guard duty. He noticed them and waved. They ran up to him, both of them panting. "Hey Kent. First watch?"  
  
He nodded and noticed Heather. "Who's that?"  
  
"Oh, this is Heather. She's fairly decent with the sword and has some skill with the bow. She was fighting off three bandits when I was taking a walk and managed to take down one of them. I stepped in to help and we managed to get rid of the others. I suspect that they may have been members of the group that attacked us."  
  
Kent nodded grimly. "Hmph...Lousy bandits. No order and no honor. Very well Heather. Welcome to our little group. Tomorrow morning we can introduce you to everyone else. You guys had better get some sleep. It's really late now." He resumed sitting down next to the fire, throwing in another stick.  
  
Chris nodded. "Thanks Kent. Come on, Heather. I'll let you use my sleeping bag. Good night, Kent." He left with Heather, leading her where his sleeping bag lay. He lay on the ground and closed his eyes. "Good night, Heather."  
  
Heather gazed at him and slid inside the sleeping bag. She was tired from all of the events that happened today and she quickly fell asleep. She wasn't bothered by any strange dreams and was comfortable though out the night. Chris, however, became plagued by horrible dreams again. He was tossing and turning. He dreamed about the times when the villagers chased him out of their villages, he dreamed about sucking Lyn's blood and leaving her to die. However, this time, there was a new dream among the old ones.  
  
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Now, he was fighting against a strange robed man. He had a sword and he was slashing at this robed figure. However, the man raised his hand and two figures appeared from the darkness. He looked at them and continued to strike at the robed man. One of the figures stepped out and he was astounded to find out it was Lyn!  
  
"Lyn! Boy, am I glad to see you here! Come on, help me destroy this person!" he yelled at her.  
  
She shook her head. "I serve Nergal, now." She stepped into the light and Chris noticed that her eyes were a gleaming gold! Her skin seemed paler, also. She lunged at Chris with her sword and slashed him on the right arm. He gasped with pain and moved away from her, toward the other shrouded figure. He spotted brown hair and moved to her. "Heather! Is that you?"  
  
Nergal shook his head and laughed. "Yes, your little friend came readily when I told her that she could find power here! She has gotten that power, and now serves me! Lyn and Heather! Kill this intruder!"  
  
Heather notched her bow, and fired arrow after arrow at Chris. Lyn crept up from behind and started to slash at him. Chris screamed in agony and fell to the floor. Nergal walked up to him and chuckled. "Never underestimate true power, power that I hold! Soon, you will be a faithful follower of mine!" He prodded Chris with his foot and began tracing a magic circle on the ground while Chris lay there, moaning. Nergal finished with the magic circle and walked back. "Hahahaha...You will be a fine Morph. You won't have to worry about anything ever again." He closed his eyes and began chanting. "Great powers of mine I have taken from thee, transform this fool into a servant for me!"  
  
Chris tried to rise from the floor, but Lyn and Heather kept him pinned down. A blue-white aura surrounded him, and he could feel his will and mind slowly slipping away from him. His thoughts grew hazy and his memories were disappearing from his head. His remaining thought was to obey Nergal to the death. His eyes turned a brilliant gold and he stood. "I am at your service, Lord Nergal."  
  
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Chris woke up in a flash. His brown eyes were wide with terror and he was breathing heavily and panting. His skin was clammy and was covered with a small sheen of sweat. He looked around and shook his head. "It was all a dream...But it seemed so real. That was scary...I will never serve someone like that...The only person I will truly serve is myself." He looked at the camp site. Kent had gone to sleep and Sain was watching the fire now. Except Sain had fallen asleep also. Chris sighed and stoked the fire again. 'Well, I can't go to sleep. Might as well take the watch.' He glanced around the area and sighed again. He leaned on his back and watched the stars.  
  
The next day, Lyn regained consciousness and looked around. She saw Chris tending the fire and Kent getting the gear ready and glaring daggers at Sain. Sain was talking to this girl that she had never seen before. Chris walked up next to her. "The new girl is Heather. I was taking a walk yesterday and I saw her being attacked. I rescued her, and she agreed to travel with us. Don't worry, she's trustworthy."  
  
Lyn nodded and looked at Chris. "Well, if you say she's trustworthy, then she is. You haven't lied to us yet." She walked to Heather and greeted her. They shook hands and began talking. Sain was trying to get their attention but failed and walked dejectedly back to Kent. "Why must the world envy my charms?"  
  
"It's because the world wants to get rid of it. Your charm is so stifling, that no one can stand to be near you. Nah, I'm just joking. But really, you law it on too thick. Lay off a little and you'll have much more success." Kent replied.  
  
"Maybe, maybe." Sain looked thoughtful as he looked the two ladies again. He watched them for a while and then helped Kent with their things. He was packing them up when Lyn came over and looked over his shoulder.  
  
"Hey Sain. So, what are we going to do? I've got a plan for our next destination." she said.  
  
"Well, beautiful Lyn, let's hear it. I'm sure it will be great coming from such a pretty flower as you." He replied.  
  
Kent dragged him off a little bit. "Sorry, guy talk. "He dragged Sain into their tent. "Sain, that was a bit too much. Next time, don't compliment her so much!" He and Sain walked back outside of the tent. "Well, what's your plan, Lyn?"  
  
She nodded at Kent and said, "Well, there is a temple near by that is sacred to my people. I was hoping that we might be able to visit there to get a blessing. Is that acceptable?"  
  
Kent nodded, "Of course, if Lady Lyndis says so."  
  
Sain grinned, "Well, let's get started, right?"  
  
Lyn smiled. "Thanks guys. How about you Chris? And you, Heather?"  
  
Chris shrugged. "Doesn't matter that much to me."  
  
Heather smiled. "Sure. No problem to me."  
  
Lyn stood up and got her stuff. "Well then, let's go!" With those words, they set out for the temple, not knowing what lay ahead of them. All they knew was that there was adventure, and with adventure is always the prospect of danger. 

* * *

Mia: You're actually updating this on a regular basis.  
  
Chris: Yeah, it's creepy. Maybe because it's my only successful serious fic.  
  
Farina: You should update your GS one. Although it sucked.  
  
Chris: Leave me alone. That was my first story and it wasn't that good. Anyway, R & R, please!  
  
Rebecca: Yeah, do that and he'll actually continue to update on a regular basis! 


	4. The Mani Katti and Sange

Chris: Another update! Strangely enough, when there wasn't a bet, less people reviewed. Hmmm....  
  
Farina: -=crying=-  
  
Chris: See? You guys depressed her. You guys are mean to Farina. Anyway, it's time to respond to the reviews.  
  
Mia: Yeah...Less people than last time. Weird.  
  
**Duderly Bob** - Thank you for the review. And I don't know why Sain wouldn't say cool. Eh, whatever you say.  
  
**sonicfreak2004** - Thanks again. Hmm...You like dissing Farina a lot.  
  
**Angel of Fate1** - Hey Hitomi. Thanks for reviewing. And we'll see if Heather is trustworthy or not.  
  
**Charlie** - Gasp! It's amazing isn't it! I'm updating pretty regularly! Thanks for the compliments.  
  
Chris: Now, on with the fic!  
  
" "- dialogue  
  
' ' - thoughts  
  
- location

* * *

Sacean Temple  
  
"So, this is the temple that you wanted to visit? It seems...quaint." Sain looked around at the temple. The temple looked basic in the least, with very few trimmings and decorations and it was in need of some repair. The stones were loose in some places, and you could see a small gap in the side of the wall. There were also some weeds on the ground and vines climbing the walls. Nearby were some houses, and two small outposts that were run- down and also in need of repair. "Umm...Are you sure this is the temple we're looking for? I imagined something more...elaborate."  
  
"Sain! Milady Lyndis knows where this temple is and if this is it, this is it! You do not have to insult it! Sure it's a little run-down, but I'm sure the inside shall more than make up for it!" Kent walked up to Sain and pointed his finger at Sain. "You got that?"  
  
"Very well, daddy! Did you get me any milk?" Sain adopted a face that a little boy would have and winked at Lyn. She giggled but quickly brought it under control and put on a stern face.  
  
"Sain. This temple is sacred to my people! I will not have you disparaging it!"  
  
"Fine, Lady Lyndis. I won't make any remarks about this old temple." Sain turned around and brushed his hair and mumbled under his breath, "Which is in big need of refurbishing."  
  
Heather looked around and nodded. "Yeah, Sain. It might not look good, but this temple is sacred to the people of Sacae. You shouldn't be putting it down." She scanned the landscape and noticed a female villager running towards her. "Hey guys, we might have trouble!"  
  
Chris ran up to her and also saw the female villager. He shook his head and turned to the others. "Stand sharp! I have a feeling we might have to do something other than a simple temple visit!" The villager ran up to Lyn and panted heavily. She was trying to say something but she was out of breath.  
  
"Temple...Attack...Bishop in danger...." She said during pants of breath. Lyn looked alarmed and helped the villager stand up straight. Her gaze moved to Kent, Sain, Heather, and Chris.  
  
"We need to save him! We cannot let the bishop be in danger! We need to save him! Who are these people that attacked him?" Lyn said frantically, trying to get as much information as she could.  
  
The villager regained her breath and looked at Lyn. "These bandits and this man wielding a sword came into the temple and tried to steal the Mani Katti! It's a sacred artifact to the Sacaens! I was able to watch it all from the small gap in the wall. The guy with the sword pushed the bishop away and tried to take it! But the sword wouldn't come out of its sheath! They say it is blessed by the spirits. Please, young miss. Save our bishop!"  
  
Lyn nodded and turned to the others. "I know this wasn't really what we planned...But can you help me?" She looked pleadingly at everyone else.  
  
"Sure! It's up to us, Caelin knights to stop this wrongdoing! I shall be at your side!" Sain stood next to Lyn and winked at her. Lyn blushed a little but quickly turned her attention away from him.  
  
"If Milady Lyndis wishes it to be so, it shall!" Kent walked next to Lyn and stood with a rigid mask of honor and service. Sain quickly proceeded to give him bunny ears and make faces behind his back. Heather started laughed but covered her mouth with one hand and struggled to keep her laugh under control.  
  
"Of course! I would be glad to help you!" She flashed a thumbs up at Lyn and stood next to her.  
  
"Chris? What about you?" Lyn looked at him.  
  
Chris opened his arms and grinned. "Hey, what are you going to do without me to lead you guys? Right?!" He smiled as everyone started to playfully whack him for that statement. "Well guys, let's be off!" He began directing everyone to their places, but he kept a wary eye on the temple. If what the villager said was true, he wasn't too sure how spirits would react to vampires, even half-vampires, entering holy ground. He took a look at the surroundings and turned to the villager again. "How many bandits are in there?"  
  
"Oh, there was one as a rear guard, staying just outside of the temple, near those small outposts there, two guarding the front gate, one in the hills, and one of them inside! Their leader is on the throne that guards the Mani Katti! Does that help?" She looked at him.  
  
Chris turned to the others. "Yes, it does. Thanks. Okay! Sain and Kent, I want you two to take out that rear guard! We can't let him alert the rest of the bandits! After you're done with that, I want you to open a bigger hole from that gap and enter through there. And remember! Use your swords! Most bandits have axes so a sword will help you gain an advantage." Sain and Kent nodded and mounted their steeds. "Lyn and Heather, I want you two to take the southern pass and take down the guards at the front gate. Then, we'll enter from bottom and meet up with Sain and Kent, okay?" Lyn and Heather nodded also, and gripped their swords a little tighter. "Okay then, let's go!" Sain and Kent rode off to where the rear guard was and Lyn, Heather, and Chris set off for the southern path.  
  
Sain and Kent rode swiftly to the rear bandit and snuck up on him. The bandit turned around and spotted them, however. He was about to shout to the other bandits through the hole in the wall, but Sain managed to slash him in the back. The bandit let out a small gurgle before he collapsed to the ground, dead. Kent looked at Sain and gave him a small nod.  
  
"Good work, Sain. It would have been drastic if he was able to alert the others. Now, let's complete our part of the mission. We need to break this section of the wall down." He turned to wall and studied it. It was a tall, wide crack that ran the height of the wall and there were some loose stones around it. "Okay Sain, I've got an idea. We can use our lances to pry loose some of the rocks and we should be able to make a gap big enough. But try to keep it quiet, I don't want the bandits to know that we're doing this." He proceeded to stick his lance inside the gap and wiggle loose some of the stones.  
  
'Sure...Don't make any racket. We're shaking out loose stones onto the ground, Kent! Of course we're going to make noise!' Sain thought as he followed Kent's orders.  
  
Meanwhile, Chris, Lyn, and Heather were crossing the hills to the south. Heather and Lyn had their swords out and were holding them cautiously. Chris was traveling behind him, scanning the landscape for any sign of the bandit lurking in the hills. Since he couldn't wield a sword or any other type of weapon, he tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, which was hard since he, Lyn, and Heather were the only people over there. Chris spotted someone standing on one of the dips of the hill and quickly motioned to Lyn. She and Heather ran to him and he pointed out the bandit. He pointed at Lyn and motioned to the right side of the bandit, pointed Heather to the left side, and motioned that he would go at the front. The others nodded and ran off to their respective positions. Chris took a deep breath and walked to the bandit.  
  
"Hey! It's a great day, isn't it?" Chris put on a fake smile and walked to the bandit. 'Man, I can't believe I'm doing something so stupid.'  
  
"Huh?" The bandit turned around and stared in surprise at this stupid villager who apparently didn't notice that his temple was under attack. His mouth was wide open when Lyn and Heather closed in from behind and cut him down. Chris breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Come on! Let head for the front gate!" Chris said as he walked off.  
  
Heather and Lyn walked up to Chris and started to tease him. "It's a great day, isn't it?!" Heather asked.  
  
"What kind of goofy smile was that?" Lyn questioned as she smiled at him.  
  
"Shut up! I couldn't think of a plan and that just popped in my mind! Leave me alone!" Chris retorted as his cheeks turned a slight crimson. He stalked off to the entrance of the temple.  
  
"Chris! We were just joking around!" Lyn and Heather chased him as he stalked off. Soon enough, they caught up to him. Unfortunately, he got so angry he wasn't looking where he was going, and he had bumped into one of the bandits guarding the front gate. So now, both of them had him at their axes and he was trying to find a way to escape.  
  
Chris gulped and slowly backed away from the bandit that was holding an axe to his neck. "I told you. I'm just taking a stroll. I happened to come across here and I wanted to offer my blessings. That's all." He nodded his head and hoped that the bandits wouldn't notice that he was looking very nervous. 'Next time, I'm going to look where I'm going. I didn't need this little exercise in quick thinking.'  
  
"I don't believe you. Why would someone just happen to walk by here? And didn't you notice that there was a sign that said the temple was closed?" The bandit walked up to Chris and looked at him suspiciously. He looked at Chris's green robe and his clean clothes. "And where'd you get those clothes? You seem very rich to just be walking around alone."  
  
'Crap! I'm screwed now! I can't think of anything for this!' Chris looked around nervously and backed away again. "Umm...You see...I didn't think there would be bandits on the road and-"  
  
"Bandits?! Who said we're bandits?"  
  
'I shouldn't have said that....' He looked around for a means to escape and he spotted Lyn and Heather hiding behind a small bush. They motioned for him to continue stringing the bandits along and Lyn made a slicing motion with her neck and hand. He nodded slightly and they crept off. He turned back to the bandit. "Uh...No one said that...I just assumed-"  
  
"Assumed?! Sir, we are not bandits! We are people who protect the rights of the average citizen! You see that temple? There are spirits of the dead and they practice necromancy in there! Sir, we are here to protect the common people from those godless infidels inside of there!" The bandit's voice was rising to a fervor pitch. He was waving his arms around to show the emotion in his voice and his face was turning red.  
  
'This guy really believes what he is saying. Who could have put this warped meaning into his mind?' Chris looked at this bandit in a new light when he noticed that Lyn and Heather had appeared. They crept up behind the bandit's partner and carefully slit his throat. He fell without a sound and made a soft thump when he hit the ground. The bandit turned around in surprise and saw that his partner was dead. He quickly spotted Lyn and Heather and his face purpled with rage.  
  
"YOU! You killed him! You Sacaen mongrels! You deserve to burn for what you've done! You will pay for your crimes!" He rushed them and swung his axe at Lyn. She ducked under the horizontal slash and stabbed him through the chest. He gasped and crumpled to the ground as Lyn withdrew her sword, which was covered with blood.  
  
"What did he mean by 'Sacaen mongrel'?" Lyn looked at Chris. He shrugged and looked at the bandit with disgust plain on his face.  
  
"I don't know. He said some pretty weird things. And strange as it sounds...he believed all of it. Whatever...Let's just get inside. I don't like what feeling I'm getting from him, even though he's dead." Chris walked off again. Lyn and Heather nodded and followed him.  
  
At the rear wall of the temple, Sain and Kent finally managed to make a gap wide enough to take their horses in through. Their swords and lances took some damage from prying loose the stones, but they had made it through and their weapons were still usable. They rode in silently, their horses hooves muffled by sacking. They spotted the bandit leader trying to wrestle a sword out of its sheath and one of his lackeys nearby, looking for any of his enemies. Sain silently rode to the bandit and took him out with one quick lance thrust to his back. The bandit fell and hit the ground. Kent and Sain waited for Chris, Lyn, and Heather at where the bandit had fallen. The leader still hadn't noticed that they had entered and killed his guard because he was still busy with trying to get the sword out from its sheath.  
  
Lyn, Chris, and Heather reached the entrance to the temple. 'This is it.' Chris thought as he gazed at the temple, 'Please spirits, let me inside. See my soul and determine if I should enter a place like this.' He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and entered the temple. He didn't feel any presence trying to stop him from entering and he opened his eyes again. He saw that Lyn and Heather had entered just fine. 'Maybe,' he mused, 'the spirits know that we are here to help them.' They ran up to Sain and Kent. "You guys okay?"  
  
Kent nodded and Sain grinned. He pointed to the mercenary leader at the throne. "That bozo still hasn't noticed that we're here. He's still too busy with that sword...What was it? The Mani Katti." Lyn noticed that the mercenary was holding the sword. She shook with rage at seeing this holy sword being stolen from its holding place. She slowly stomped to the mercenary and motioned to the others. They quickly followed behind her and soon they were all assembled in front of the mercenary. He finally noticed them and put down the sheath holding the Mani Katti and took out his own blade.  
  
"What do you want? And what did you do to my guards?!" He looked over them and noticed that the bandit in the hall was dead. He shook with rage and pointed his sword at Lyn. "You'll pay for killing them! And then I can show these stupid spirits who's really in control now! I, Glass, will annihilate you!" He lunged at her and she blocked it with her sword. His face was lit with rage and anger and he quickly moved his sword and thrust at Lyn. She quickly dodged to the left and slashed him on his sword arm. He hissed in pain and picked up the sword in his other hand.  
  
"Shouldn't we be helping her?" Sain asked Chris. Chris shook his head and looked at the battle in front of him.  
  
"No. This is her fight. It would be an infringement on her honor to help her now. Be content in knowing that Lyn will probably best this joker." He folded his arms and watched as Lyn moved to the attack, raining down blows as Glass blocked them all. At the last parry, however, his arm, weakened from the numerous blows rained upon it, finally gave up and dropped the sword. Lyn saw this chance and slashed him across the chest. He fell back and toppled to the ground, his eyes sightless. Lyn breathed heavily and looked at the dead body.  
  
"Somebody drag these people out. They don't deserve to be in this temple after they've desecrated it. And someone tell the Bishop that he'll be okay." Sain and Kent immediately began dragging Glass and his bandit guard outside of the temple. Chris and Heather went to the room that the bishop and hidden in. Chris knocked on the door.  
  
"Uh, Mr. Bishop? We just wanted to tell you that it's safe to come out now. The bandits are...umm...dead now and they've been taken away so it's okay to come out."  
  
The door slowly creaked open and an old, weathered face peeked through. He saw Chris and Heather and smiled. He opened the door fully now and he stepped through. He was dressed in a worn looking, blue robe and wore the white ceremonial robes of a Bishop. His white hair peeked through the cowl on his robes and he had a white mustache. He glided to the throne and spotted Lyn.  
  
"Ah, thank you for saving this temple. Your dress signifies you as a member of the Lorca tribe, am I correct? How are they doing, by the way?"  
  
Lyn looked at the ground and tears formed in her eyes. "T-They were massacred a few weeks ago. Bandit crept into our camp and killed them all...I am the only survivor."  
  
"I'm sorry, my child." The bishop put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And who else may we have in this little army?" He spotted Chris and Heather and smiled at them. "Ah, the special people that helped me get out of that stuffy room. Thank you." Sain and Kent rode back in after disposing of the bodies and bowed before the bishop. "And two fine, young men. I'm glad to see that you helped remove the bodies. I am eternally grateful. How may I reward your service? I know, here. You may touch and Mani Katti and ask it to give you a blessing."  
  
Lyn bowed in reverence. "Thank you." She walked to the sword and laid her hands on it. Suddenly, the sword flashed a bright white and it started to hover in front of her. Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked at everyone else. Sain, Kent, Heather, and Chris look just as surprised as she was. The bishop just smiled and nodded.  
  
"Ah, I see. The sword has chosen you to be its new owner. I'm glad to see that someone as righteous as you will wield the Mani Katti. It is yours now. The spirits wish it so." He bowed to her and smiled again.  
  
Lyn stuttered and stammered as she was so surprised by this statement. "B- But I-I can't t-t-take this sword! It's not mine!" The sword floated down to her waist and fastened itself to her belt.  
  
"The spirits want you to hold the Mani Katti, and so you shall. It is a great honor to be chosen by the spirits, young one. May the spirits always accompany you on your journey." He sat on the throne that guarded the former resting place of the Mani Katti. He looked over the group and winked at Chris and Heather. Chris looked surprised at this but then Lyn told them that they would be leaving. He motioned that he wanted to stay and talk with the bishop for a little while.  
  
"Very well, Chris. But don't stay long. We still have a journey to continue on." Lyn and the others departed from the front gate and Chris soon lost sight of them. He turned back to the bishop.  
  
"Umm...Sir? May I talk to you?"  
  
"Why of course, Chris. I'm sure you're wondering why I winked at you and Heather. I must say, it is quite interesting to see a half-vampire in this day and age. Two things that I never imagined I would see in my life have happened. The Mani Katti has chosen a new owner and I was saved by a half- vampire."  
  
Chris fell to his knees. "Wait, you can tell I'm a half-vampire? But how?"  
  
The bishop smiled and held out his hand. A small ball of purple light appeared in his hand. "Why, the spirits told me. Don't think they didn't notice your little prayer before you entered. Why do you think they let you in? But they saw that your soul was pure, if not a little tainted from the vampire blood. I'm glad that you stayed for a while. I have something to give you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a short sword. "This is yours. The spirits have ordained that you receive a gift for your service. This sword has also been blessed by the spirits and they gratefully had it to you in appreciation. This is the katana, Sange." He handed it to Chris, who ran his hand over the leather sheath that it was contained in.  
  
"But I can't accept this! I didn't do anything to help! I just gave the orders!" Chris rose to his feet and began to give the sword back. The bishop pushed his hand away and fastened it to Chris's belt. Chris was still protesting. "But I don't even know how to use a sword! What use is this to me?"  
  
"Ah, you may not know now, but I predict you will learn how later. I wish you luck in your travels, Chris. May the spirit of Hanon walk with you and guide you on your paths."  
  
Chris nodded dazedly and walked out of the temple, his head still shaking. The ball of purple light floated out of him and formed into a person dressed in nomad clothing. The bishop looked at the figure and smiled.  
  
"Hanon, I'm glad to see that you're still here. Is he truly the one? The tales told of a person to help defeat a new evil that will appear in the future, but a half-vampire?"  
  
The spirit figure of Hanon looked at the bishop and nodded his head. "Yes, he may just be the one. We may never know, but I'm almost certain of it. May his path be true." The figure vanished and the bishop sighed and waited for another sign from the spirits.  
  
Out on the plains, Chris caught up with the rest of their little group. Sain was explaining how Lyn should just accept the Mani Katti and Heather and Kent were talking. Lyn noticed that Chris had come up and motioned him over.  
  
"Hey Chris. We were just going to begin discussing our travel plans. I think we should get into Caelin as quickly as possible. I'm worried about my grandfather."  
  
Chris nodded quickly and agreed. "Yes, we should get out of here. These bandits are getting a little too creepy for my tastes."  
  
Everyone else agreed and they set off for Caelin once again, two of them holding a weapon blessed by the spirits and always being looked upon by the spirit of Hanon, nomad of the plains.

* * *

Chris: Wow. I'm done. Now, if you think my tactician is a Gary-Stu, tell me. I'm trying to make him a normal guy...Kind of. I mean, the half-vampire thing isn't normal, but enough of that. Now, I do realize that he receiving a cool, new weapon may be Gary-Stuish, but number one, he doesn't know how to use it, second, he's just a freaking tactician! When do they ever fight, huh?! Now, if you've got any other complaints, tell me in your reviews. Don't say that I suck without give me a reason. And don't flame me for no reason at all. Because you know what? That's stupid. Now, R & R.  
  
Mia: What he said.  
  
Farina: Ditto.  
  
Rebecca: I agree. 


	5. The Journey Continues

Chris: It's me! Again! I feel like updating this faster than everything else...Mainly because I feel like it.  
  
Mia: You still update slow. Really slow. Slow as a snail.  
  
Chris: Nyah. Now...umm...Nothing really new I need to announce. Just reader reviews and then we can get to the story. Mmmkay?  
  
**sonicfreak2004**: Wow...Thanks for the compliments...You really thought that last chapter was good...Wow. I'm amazed...Well, not that amazed. But still. And Farina is happy that you're not dissing her anymore.  
  
**Lord Slasher**: I'm assuming that means the chapter was good, right? Well, I'll try to keep the next chapters up to the standards.  
  
**Kiyoko-chan**: Okay, thanks for confirming he isn't a Gary-Stu...I don't want him to become one. And thanks for the compliments!  
  
**DotDotDotMan**: You'll just have to find out, won't you? I actually have a plan for this sword, so yeah.  
  
**Angel of Fate1**: I'm assuming "HOLY CRAP!" is good, right? And don't worry, a lot of my friends will get cameos, or might even join the party. We'll see. And yes, you're in it. And yes, I do owe some credit to you about the half-vampire thing.  
  
**Charlie**: Yes, you have. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
**Golden Emblem**: Well, here's an update. And Hector and Raven aren't going to be in this for a long time...Like maybe 3-5 chapters ahead or something? I don't know. And thanks for reviewing.  
  
**Reiko5**: Okay. Good. My character isn't a Gary-Stu. Thank whoever made the rules for that.  
  
" "- dialogue  
  
' ' - thoughts  
  
- location

* * *

A worn, old path  
  
Lyn and her little group traveled on to the city of Caelin, the home of her grandfather. Her new sword, the Mani Katti, hung on her belt and rattled in its sheath as she walked. Chris's Sange was hidden in his bag, clanking softly as he tried to muffle it. He hadn't told anyone about what happened in that temple when he stayed inside. He thought it was a dream, but the sound of Sange rattling in its scabbard reminded him it was not. Sain and Kent were leading their horses, trying to conserve their energy for whatever battle that might happen in the future. Heather was busy cleaning her sword as she walked. Unfortunately, she didn't keep her eyes on the road and often crashed into trees amidst the laughter of her comrades. They stopped for a while to talk about their route.  
  
"I know you wanted to go to Ryerde for the tournament there, but I really need to head for Caelin. I'm sorry, Chris." Lyn said nervously. "I know we could have trained there a bit, but meeting my grandfather is my first priority."  
  
Chris just shrugged and smiled. "Nah, it's okay. I understand that you want to go meet your grandfather. It's no problem to me. I can always visit Ryerde later." He looked at Sain and Kent, who were trailing behind. They quickly caught up and nodded at Lyn. Chris sat down and waited for their report, his eyes closed.  
  
"Milady Lyn, it is imperative that we find a place for our horses to rest. They are tired out from out last battle and we also need a place to stay for the night. The sun is going down and we need to find some shelter." Kent said as he walked up. He pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment and spread it out on the ground. "According to this map, it says that there's a small town close by. We could head for there for the night."  
  
Sain leaned over Kent's shoulder and nodded. "Listen to Mr. Strict here. He might not have much of a personality, but he sure is good at finding cities and towns to find aid and rest. I'm able to do that too, but I'm just too modest. I wouldn't like to make my partner have no duties." He grinned and winked at Lyn. Lyn blushed again and then started laughing as Kent pushed Sain off his back. Sain landed on the floor with a big WHUMP and started laughing. "Nice one, Kent! Maybe I shouldn't mock you so much." He stood up and brushed the dust off his armor. "Nah, forget what I just said. It wouldn't be the same without you to mock."  
  
Kent rolled the map up again and stuffed it in his pocket. "I have no time for your childish pranks. We need to head for that village and get protection soon. The sun is almost down and night is approaching. So, let's head out!" Everyone looked at Chris. His eyes were still closed, but they gradually opened and he noticed everyone looking at him. He looked around guiltily and hoped they wouldn't find out what he was doing.  
  
"Why are you all staring at me? Is there something on my shirt?" Chris checked his garments for anything that looked out of place, but he couldn't find anything. "So, where are we going to stay? I sure hope it's a good place!" Unfortunately for him, those were not the words that he should have said. Everyone figured it out and started laughing and chuckling. Chris grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"You were sleeping?! Our tactician was sleeping?! Imagine what would have happened on the battlefield!" Tears of laughter were creeping out of Heather's eyes as she leaned on Kent for support. Kent was trying to keep a stern face, but the laughter was contagious and soon he struggled to keep a smile off his face. Lyn and Sain were laughing together, tears also coming out of their eyes. A couple of minutes later, they calmed down, the occasional laugh escaping their bodies. After Kent filled Chris in on where they were going, they headed to the village where they would spend the night.  
  
Meanwhile, northwest of where Lyn's group was, a lone girl on a pegasus was flying toward the same village. Her orchid colored hair streamed out behind her as her pegasus, Huey, pumped her wings. She looked at the ground nervously, trying to find a figure. Tied to her back was a small, thin lance. Not very heavy, it also didn't pack much of a punch. She also carried a pouch with three vulneraries. Her blue armor glinted in the sun as she spotted the village. On a tiny bit of hope, she flew there, hoping to find her friend.  
  
A run-down, old town  
  
Lyn's group reached the village and looked shocked at their surrounding. The building were run-down, some even crumbling to dust. Whatever walls that were standing were in bad need of repair. Some houses that were standing had holes bashed into them and in some places, the roof had caved in.  
  
"The entire place is in ruins! Why doesn't they marquess do anything to help?" Kent asked, as he looked at this sad-looking town. Lyn looked at the mountains nearby and shook her head.  
  
"We're near the Taliver Mountain. It's home to a gang of vicious bandits. No marquess can hold power hear. My village was near here...on the other side of the mountain. My people were...The Taliver bandits came during the night. It took only one night. The survivors numbered less than ten, including me. They're soulless beasts. I will never forgive them. Never." Tears of sorrow crept in her eyes as she recalled the event that had killed her parents. Sain looked at her sadly.  
  
"Lyndis..." He said sadly. Kent remained silent. Lyndis shook her head and brushed the tears from her eyes.  
  
"I am not running away. I will be back...someday! I'll be stronger...I will break their swords beneath me like twigs beneath a stallion's hooves. I will avenge my people. I'll do everything in my power."  
  
Sain looked at her and nodded his head. "When the time comes, take me with you. You might be able to use an extra helper."  
  
Lyn looked back at him, tears forming in her eyes. "Sain..."  
  
"Don't forget me, either." Kent said.  
  
Lyn faced Kent, tears falling unchecked. "Kent..."  
  
Chris, who had been listening in silence, thinking about his own family, stepped up as well. "Count me in. I might not know how to fight now, but I might learn later."  
  
"Oh! You, too, Chris?" Lyn was smiling happily, although tears still fell.  
  
"Hey! Don't forget about me! I want to help, also!" Heather said. She, too, had been listening in silence. "We've got to stick together! Plus, I can't let you be the only gal around!"  
  
Lyn sniffed. "I...You're...Thank you." Sain smiled and brushed some of her tears away.  
  
"It's no problem at all. Come on, let's go." He said as he patted her on the back. Lyn smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yes, let's go."  
  
Elsewhere through the city, two bandits were crowding around a small girl. There was also a pegasus nervously flapping its wings. One of the bandits had brown hair that reached the back of his neck and had a blood-red headband and a ragged looking shirt.  
  
"Wait right there, little lady! What are you going to do to apologize?! Huh?!"  
  
The girl shrank back from him, holding her hands to her chest as she stammered, "Uh...I...That is, I..."  
  
Another bandit crept up and took a good look at her, his eyes looking across her body, lingering on her breasts. "Hey, she's quite a catch, eh, buddy? I'd bet the boss'd give us a pretty penny for her! She's built beautifully."  
  
The brown-haired one laughed. "Yeah. She roughed me up a bit, so I figure fair's fair. It's no more'n she deserves. But let's have a little fun with her first, eh?"  
  
She shrank back from them more, fear in her eyes. "I...I..."  
  
The second bandit looked at the girl's pegasus. "What are we gonna do with her flying mule?" The girl's eyes blazed as she pointed at the bandit.  
  
"Don't you dare touch her!"  
  
The bandit looked at her in surprise, then scorn. "What? Just watch your mouth, girlie!" The girl seemed to lose some of her courage, but she still stood strong.  
  
"You can do what you want with me, but please...Let her go. Please, I beg of you." The bandit with the headband let out a loud guffaw.  
  
"Ha ha ha! Silly twit! Pegasi can only be found in Ilia. They're rare beasts, worth more than you by far! We can sell it for a mountain of gold! Let it go? HA! However..." He looked at her lustfully. "I will let the beast go on one condition."  
  
"W-What?" The girl said, fear in her voice.  
  
The bandit leaned closer to the girl, his breath flowing over her face. "You will have to be mine."  
  
She let out a frightened squeak and looked at her pegasus. "No, you can't...be serious..." The bandit let out a sigh.  
  
"Fine with me." He turned to his comrade. "C'mon! Let's move! Take the pegasus! We'll sell it at the nearest market!"  
  
The girl sighed in defeat and turned teary eyes to her pegasus. "F- Fine...I...agree."  
  
Lyn and her friends continued through the town and eventually heard sounds of shouting and screaming in the distance. They ran over and spotted a few bandits harassing an orchid-haired girl. The girl was trying to keep her distance from them and the bandits were closing in. Kent caught a brief glimpse of the crowd and turned to Lyn.  
  
"There seems to be some sort of commotion over there." Lyn moved forward and gasped as she saw something that caught her eye.  
  
"That's...That's a pegasus! Could it be?" She ran to where the bandits were. "Florina?!" The bandits turned around in surprise and looked at this new distraction for them. Lyn ignored them and moved closer. "Is that you, Florina?" Florina looked up and surprise and happiness.  
  
"Ah! Lyn?"  
  
"Florina! What are you doing in a place such as this?" Lyn looked shocked at seeing her.  
  
"Lyn!" Florina rushed to Lyn and stood by her. "Is it really you? I...I..." Tears started to well up in her eyes.  
  
"Come now, no crying!" Lyn said as she hugged Florina. Florina shook her head and stopped.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Everyone else had finally reached Lyn and Kent rode up. "You are acquaintances?" Lyn nodded. Chris, Heather, and Sain rode to the bandits and made sure they wouldn't move by holding swords or spears, or in Chris's case, a book.  
  
"She's my friend. This is Florina, a pegasus knight in training from Ilia. She's a little uncomfortable around men. Tell me, Florina, what happened here?" Lyn asked. Florina looked at the ground.  
  
"Well...um...When I heard that you had left...I decided to follow you. Then I saw this village...I flew down to see if you were here or if anyone had news of you. I didn't see these two, and...well..." Florina blushed and scuffed the ground with her boot.  
  
"Did you pegasus land on them?" Lyn asked.  
  
"Well, I...A little..." Florina scuffed the ground a little bit more with her boot.  
  
One of the bandits looked up and shouted. "Aha! You heard her! She admits her fault!" Florina was so scared by this sudden outburst that she immediately ran behind Lyn and hid. The bandit continued his rant. "She stepped on my friend, and now she's got to pay!"  
  
Lyn looked at Florina. "Did you apologize?" Florina nodded slightly.  
  
"Yes. I told them I was sorry many times over. They just wouldn't listen..." Florina started to cry again as she remember what they were going to do to her.  
  
"Don't cry. It's all right." Lyn comforted Florina and held her in her arms.  
  
"Lyn..." Florina sniffled and looked up at her.  
  
"Listen, she's obviously sorry. Can't we just let this pass?" Lyn looked at the bandit that had shouted. "You don't appear to be injured or anything." The bandit with the headband spoke up now.  
  
"No chance! The girl goes with us! By force if need be!" Both of the bandits found a gap and ran off. The headband faced a house they passed. "Hey! C'mon out now, boys! The men are fair game, but don't put a scratch on the girls! The purple haired one is mine! The other one can be your pick!" Many men poured out of the building and soon Lyn's small group was in a precarious situation. To their south and west was a wall, and to the north and east were bandits. Lyn turned to Chris.  
  
"Chris! We've got to fight back!"  
  
Florina looked at Lyn. "Lyn...I..."  
  
Lyn faced Florina now. "You're a pegasus knight, aren't you? You can fight, can't you?"  
  
Florina's faced brightened with courage and she took off the lance from her back. "...Yes!" She left to mount her pegasus and Lyn faced Chris again.  
  
"Listen carefully, Chris. We're facing bandits. They're underlings, but we can't take them too lightly. Let's clear them out of here! Are you ready?" Sain and Kent mounted their horses and awaited orders. Heather cleaned her sword one last time and practiced a few strokes with her sword. Chris nodded and stuffed the book he was holding inside his pouch. "The layout around here may make it difficult to fight. However, the same is true for our foes. If we can manipulate our surroundings, we can ensure our victory. Come on Chris, let's go!"  
  
Florina flew over to Lyn. "Lyn...Who's that?" She pointed at Chris.  
  
"This is Chris. He's still an apprentice, but he's my tactician." Lyn looked with pride at Chris while he blushed with embarrassment. Florina turned to him.  
  
"Oh, I see...Uh...Chris? I'm pleased to meet you." With those words of greeting, everyone got in position and stood ready to beat off the bandits, with death as one conclusion, and honor as the other.

* * *

Chris: Yay. I'm done. Yes, I realize I need to update my other fics. I'm trying to update as fast as I can...Which isn't fast enough. Anyway, review and tell me if I'm making a mistake anywhere. And if I'm not, that's good. Now, to tell you. I am having cameos in this story. My friends will be in this story. They probably will not join the main army, and will be there for extra scenes and humor and some other stuff. Yeah, and also, if you're a loyal reader to my fics, you might get a cameo also. Just tell me the name you're going to use (It has to be a real life name or something like that), and describe yourself relatively well. It doesn't have to be very descriptive, just the basics. Yeah, and that's it.  
  
Mia: If you didn't get the message, R & R.  
  
Rebecca: Right. What she said.  
  
Farina: When am I going to be in it?! 


	6. A Meeting of Friends

Chris: Boy…I took a long time to update this.

Mia: Forever is more like it.

Chris: Yep. But I'm updating this story now. Because I've got some new ideas. However, because of the ideas, I'm going to have to cut some things. They'll be at the end of the story.

**Charlie**: Yep, I updated. And that is so not funny.

**Angel of Fate1**: Yep. Uh huh. You'll get a cameo…Just depends when, huh?

**Reiko5**: Eh….You can choose what you want. And thanks for reviewing!

**Yami no Kirbie**: Thanks for saying my character isn't a Gary-Stu…I really don't want that. And Hahahaha! I made you think of writing a story! Sorry about that.

" " - speaking

' ' - thoughts

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Meeting of Friends/Band of Mercenaries**

"Okay, it's nice to meet you as well." Chris nodded, and then held Sain back by the arm. "Introductions will come later, Sain! We've got a battle to fight!"

"Very well, sir tactician! Look at me, my lovely ladies, as I charge into battle!" Sain mounted his horse, and pulled out his lance as he charged into battle.

"Wait! Sain!" When it was clear that Sain wasn't stopping, Chris let out a small string of curses. "Kent, you go after him."

"At once." Kent urged his horse on and he followed after Sain. Chris turned to the other people.

"It looks like there's a village nearby. Lyn, see if you can find any help from there, okay?" Chris pointed north, where a small set of gates loomed. He turned to Heather. "Is it okay if you go with Kent and Sain?" She nodded and headed off, her sword clanking against her legs.

As Lyn entered the village, a stone landed near her feet and she heard shouting and angry mutterings.

"Leave us alone, you bastards!"

"Go away! Go away! We don't have any more gold for you!"

"No! Wait! We're not bandits! Just listen to me!" Lyn shielded her face as more rocks and stones were thrown at her. "We just want to help!"

"Wait…I'll check this out. Everyone else, just stay inside." A young man with brown stepped out of one of the buildings. He walked up to Lyn and folded his hands. "Not bandits, huh? Well then, what are you?"

"My name is Lyn! My friends and I were just traveling trough here. We saw some bandits around and we're going to deal with him. We need you to tell them and warn them about the bandits." She turned and was about to leave when the boy grabbed her arm.

"Hey! Wait! Let me go with you! My name's Wil. I'm a traveler too…sort of. These villagers were kind to me. Can I help?"

"Of course! Let's go, Wil! We could use all of the help we can get!" Lyn clapped Wil on the back and ran out, ready to enter battle once again. Wil smiled and followed her, taking out the bow that was strapped to his back.

"Hey Chris! A new guy has decided to join up!" Lyn showed Wil to the tactician, who nodded.

"Nice to meet you…So…You're an archer, right?"

"That's me! Long-distance fighting is my game! But, if things get a little too dicey…" Wil flipped out a small knife. "I can always use this for emergencies."

"Okay, that's good. Cause Florina-" He pointed to the pegasus knight, who was hovering a few feet above them. "She told me that there was another bandit hiding behind that wall. Think you're good enough to hit him?" Chris looked at Wil, challenging him.

"Ha! No problem!" He ran towards the wall. "Let's see…" Luckily for him, he found a small hole in the dilapidated wall that showed him the surroundings on the opposite side. Aiming his bow just right, he released an arrow and was gratified as he heard the bandit scream out in pain as the arrow lodged in his leg.

"Florina! It's your turn!" Chris yelled at the pegasus knight, who nodded. She flew down at the mercenary, her lance clutched in her hands. The mercenary noticed her streaking towards him and maneuvered to face her, but his leg was paining him and blood was streaming down it. He swung a blow at the pegasus knight, but the strike was too slow as the lance punctured his body before the blow could connect. The corpse slid off of Florina's lance and fell to the ground. Florina winced and closed her eyes, guiding her pegasus to the ground.

"Hmm…I don't want to leave her there without support." Chris muttered worriedly, thinking of some way to continue the attack. Lyn tapped his shoulder.

"Don't worry. She's really strong. She'll be just fine."

"If you say so…Come on! Lyn! Wil! Let's go!" He dashed off to the right, where Sain, Kent, and Heather had gone.

"Yes, sir!" They both mock saluted and followed him, a smile on both their faces. As they ran, they spotted all three of them locked in battle with a couple of bandits. Two axe-wielding enemies were attacking Kent, who was doing his best to fend both of them off. As for Sain, he was having trouble dodging arrows from an enemy soldier and trying to fight another bandit. Heather's blade clashed against a mercenary, both of them struggling against each other.

"Take this!" Kent slashed down with his sword, severing the axe shaft and killing the bandit by stabbing him in the chest. However, the blow cost him as the other bandit jumped and knocked him off the horse. He landed heavily, his armor clattering and his sword knocked away from the impact. The second bandit was just about to finish him when an arrow lodged in his back, and he toppled over, dead. Kent stood up, nodding thanks to Wil before mounting his horse again.

"En garde!" Sain swung his lance like a bat, catching the bandit in the side and knocking him down. With a quick downward thrust, he ended the bandit's life. An arrow whistled in front of his horse, and it reared up in the air, almost tossing Sain off. "There, there…Just calm down." He patted the head and pulled his blood-crusted lance out of the bandit's body. "Let's go!" He charged with his lance, and the opposing archer looked nervous as it frantically searched for an arrow. Sain swung his sword and severed the bow in half, leaving the archer defenseless. He pointed his sword at the archer, who was trembling.

"P-Please…Just let me go…I didn't want to do this…" The archer kneeled, his hands clasped behind his back.

Sain raised his sword. "Very well, cur. Now run, while I still feel like letting you go!" The archer nodded gratefully, but then he pulled out a small dagger and jumped at Sain, who was taken off guard.

"Watch out!" Florina flew up from behind and pierced the archer from behind, right before he was going to plunge his dagger into Sain's side. Sain sighed, and then smiled at Florina.

"Thank you, my lovely rosebud!" He was about to take her hand to kiss it when she flew off towards Chris.

"Uh…Um…I've got to drop something off….Uh…" Florina stammered that as an apology, leaving Sain behind. Sain shook his head in disappointment, but smiled as Kent rode up to him. He clapped his friend and ally on the back, sheathing his sword.

"Huff…" Heather winced as the mercenary streaked past her defense, stabbing her in the arm. She screamed in pain and anger and swung her sword at the mercenary's head, severing it. She fell to the ground, biting her lip as tears streamed down her cheeks. The sword remained stuck in her arm, and the pain was excruciating.

"Heather!" Lyn rushed up to her and gently lifted her back. Heather smiled at Lyn, sweat beading her forehead. Lyn smiled back. "Just rest, you've done well enough." Heather nodded, and slipped into unconsciousness.

"Hey, how is she?" Chris ran up, his cloak flying behind him.

"Hopefully, she'll be fine. It's a good thing the sword didn't hit her sword arm. We should be able to fix it after the battle."

"Okay. Good. Stay with her, okay? I saw an armory on the way here. I'm going to pick up a couple of weapons." Chris patted Lyn on the back before moving off to find the armory.

"Uh…Uh…"

"What?" Chris turned around to see a nervous looking Florina.

"Uh…Some villagers wanted…to…give this to you." Florina quickly handed the bag to Chris before moving back, her hands clasped behind her back and her head bowed.

Chris opened the bag and gasped. "Wow, this is quite a sum! Thank you for bringing it to me, Florina."

"I-It's my job…" Florina mounted her pegasus again and flew off. Chris chuckled at her nervousness and headed for the armory. As he entered, a blacksmith approached him.

"What would you be needing, good sir?" The blacksmith rubbed his hands together.

"Hmm…" He looked around at the various weapons around. There wasn't much of a selection, but what could he expect from an armory that was in an abandoned city? 'Let's see…Florina could use another lance, and I should just take another sword for precaution.' He pointed to a lance that was leaning against the wall and a sword hanging above it. "Those two should do fine."

"Very good, sir." The blacksmith gathered both of them and handed them to Chris, the sword in its sheath and the lance wrapped in protective cloth. "That should be eight-hundred twenty gold, please."

"Ah, okay." Chris placed the money in the blacksmith's outstretched hand and left, carrying the weapons to his friends. When he arrived, he saw them surrounding someone who appeared to be the leader. The leader was waving his axe in front of everyone, checking their advance.

"I am Migal! Come and get me, if you can!" The bandit's filthy brown hair was tied back by a raggedy red headband and his muscles bulged as he swung at Sain, who was trying to inch forward.

Chris ran up and gave the lance to Florina. "You could be able to use this. It should be stronger than the lance you have now." He handed her the lance, which had a thicker shaft and lance head than the lance she was using at the moment. Florina shakily nodded thanks before turning to the bandit leader.

"Chris! What should we do?" Kent looked to the tactician, who scratched his head.

"Wil! You're up!"

"Of course!" Wil smiled, notching an arrow and releasing it at Migal. The bandit shouted and lifted his axe to chop the arrow into pieces. Sain, acting on initiative, rode forward and swung his sword at the bandit's now unprotected body. The bandit swung his axe heavily, blocking Sain's blow. Kent charged forward as Migal was occupied and succeeded in stabbing him at his arm. Migal shook him off and the sword popped free in Kent's hand. Wil shot another arrow and Migal was struck again.

Migal yelling in a berserk rage, charging at Lyn, who was protecting Heather's unmoving body. Florina shrieked a warning, and spurred her pegasus forward. Lyn spun, trying to bring her sword to block. She succeeded, but his furious blow knocked her backwards. However, Florina reached him in time and killed him before he had another chance to attack.

"Ugh…My brothers…Will get revenge…" He toppled to the floor, blood leaking through his wound.

"L-Lyn? Are you okay?" Florina quickly dismounted and helped a shaken Lyn up.

"Thank you, Florina." Lyn brushed her forehead. "Phew…That was close." She remembered something and looked sternly at Florina. "Why are you here?"

"W-Well…I was going on this journey to become a true pegasus knight of Ilia…And I wanted to ask you for your support and advice. But I heard that you had left with two strangers…" She looked nervously at Lyn, her eyes wide.

"Oh…" Lyn smiled fondly at Florina. "You were worried about me….Thank you for your compassion, Florina. but I'm more worried about you." She held Florina, looking at her.

"Most mercenaries and bandits are men. Bands of men? Won't you be uncomfortable around them?"

"I know…I know…I've just dreamt of always being a pegasus knight…Since my sisters were pegasus knights as well. I just thought I should follow in their footsteps. I just thought it would work out somehow. But I guess it isn't as easy as that…" Florina shuddered. "Maybe I should…just give up." She began crying in Lyn's arms.

"Aw…Florina, don't cry." Lyn patted Florina on the back, trying to comfort her.

"Of course! There is no reason to give up your dreams!"

Lyn released Florina and turned around, where she saw Sain ride up, Kent chasing after him. Sain jumped off of his horse and walked up to Florina, who backed away.

"Lovely Florina! I have had just the most brilliant idea!"

Kent rode up and dismounted, grabbing hold of Sain. "Sain!" The brown-haired cavalier broke free, however.

"With the addition of Wil here," Sain pointed at the archer, who was busy stringing his bow, "we're a fine group of soldiers! And we're freelance to boot!"

Wil looked up when Sain finished his proposal. "Wait…You included me?"

Sain grinned. "Of course! We were destined to meet here! This is fate! Come on, Lady Florina! Lyn's group of mercenaries is as good as any other training group out there!" He clapped his hands enthusiastically.

"Sain…" Kent turned his partner around. "This is no joking matter!" Kent pulled Sain away to lecture him on his attitude.

"Uh…Lyndis? I-I mean…Lyn? Mercenaries?"

"Um…I can give you all of the details later. Everything is just moving too fast…However…I guess Sain is right." She turned and watched Sain, who had Kent yelling at him. She giggled a little. "Will you come with us, Florina?"

Florina inched forward a little, excited at the prospect. "Travel with you, Lyn? Really? Truly?" She began sniffing. "I would be…so…so happy…"

Sain broke out of Kent's lecture and ran towards her. He kneeled before her, holding out a hand. "Fantastic! Beauteous Florina! I am a knight of Caelin. My name is Sain…"

Florina jumped back, scared out of her wits. "Eeek!" She backed away. "Stay back! D-Don't get so close!"

Sain sighed romantically. "Ah…Beautiful, and yet so modest!"

Kent walked up to Lyn, sighing. "I beg your forgiveness, my lady. Calling us mercenaries…"

Lyn shook her head. "No, I approve. We can't leave Florina on her own. She requires special attention, though…Can I count on you?"

"Of course! You have but to ask." Kent bowed to Lyndis and walked off. Lyn spotted Wil coming closer.

"So…Is it really all right if I travel with you guys?" Wil looked nervous.

"Oh, of course! That is, if you're willing, Wil."

"Heh, actually, I'm really grateful about your offer. Because…All of my money was stolen, and I'm…at a bit of a crossroads." Wil scratched his chin thoughtfully, then brightened. "I would be honored to count myself one of Lyndis's Legion!"

"'Lyndis's Legion?'" Lyn chuckled, and then smiled as Florina ducked behind her, hiding from Sain. "Heh, this is getting more and more interesting and stranger every day, isn't it, Chris?"

The tactician nodded, looking worriedly at Heather. "Oh yeah…I wonder what will happen next…"

* * *

Chris: Here are those new things I had to put. Sorry that they're so long… 

1. I'm not too confident that anyone will the join the army. No cameo's either…I don't want to put real-life people in here, because some of the characters will die. However, read announcement 4 on how you might want to contribute. I'm sorry to everyone who had high hopes for it, but I'm adding some original characters in the story that I made up. And no, they are not uber or are they super strong classes. Hell, the only classes that I've made up on my list is an Alchemist, who's important for an area of the story that happens much, much later, a Scout, who's like a weak Cavalier that can move farther (Hence the name, Scout), and a Wanderer, which isn't really that strong to be considered uber. The Wanderer is like….A Pegasus Knight on the ground who's slower and stronger and fights on foot.

2. Yes, I am going to be editing some of the original storyline to fit into my own plot that I have. No, I hope they won't be way too cliché…But a lot of things are cliché, so it's hard.

3. Many of the new OCs are girls. Why, you ask? Well, some may say I'm perverted. Too that, I could say something that is prohibited here. Anyway, I just did that because there aren't enough girls in the game. Almost all of the guys should get a girl. The only exceptions are Wallace and Merlinus….For obvious reasons. Well, maybe Wallace can get Vaida.

4. Instead of accepting the readers into the story, if you want to be a small part of it, e-mail me an OC of your creation. I'll determine if he/she will be accepted. My e-mail is in my profile. Just give me the name, where he/she comes in and his/her location(State whether it's Lyn's or Eliwood's mode), his/her class (If it's original, please state good reasons on why it's…average enough. Yes, no uber classes please. While I'm on that, no uber characters either.), appearance, background, and why he/she should be in the group. I'll try to accept those that I feel would be a good addition to the party. Try to come up with a class that will fill in the shortcomings of the party. And give me good reasons, please.


	7. Chance Meeting

Chris: Awwww….I only got two reviews.

Farina: Maybe it's because you updated so late that no one remembers this fic.

Chris: Good point. Anyway, I'll do my reader reviews, then its chapter time! Oh, and I don't own FE. Yeah.

**Reiko5: **Well…If it's a special case, I guess you can have two OCs. Anyway, good luck with deciding!

**DotDotDotMan:** Heather is kind of like a Myrmidon that can use bows. She doesn't gain any special benefits when promoted (if she was a real unit). If you want a class name, she's a Ranger/Forester. You know…since they can use swords and bows….Yeah. And I know about the dual-promotion thing for FE 8. Sounds interesting.

**Dias of All Final: **Thank you for making a character. You're actually the only person to do that so far. Anyway…As to your character…I'm gonna make him a myrmidon first. Cause pre-promoted characters usually suck. _Usually_. Pent, Jaffar, and maybe Louise could be exceptions. You'll probably comein a little later.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Chance Meeting**

"I'm so tired…" Chris moaned as they walked down the dusty path through the mountains of Bern. "Do we _have_ to walk?"

Lyn turned and gave the tactician a rueful grin. "Well, if you know of another way, then I'm all ears. But until then, it's walking for us."

"This is so unfair…" Chris moaned again.

"Stop complaining." Kent rode up, and looked down at the tactician. "I appreciate that you're doing the best you can, but talking will only waste more of your energy."

"Hmph. Fine." Chris folded his arms.

"Come on! We don't want any bad relations here! Especially since those bandits from earlier are chasing us." Sain rode up, a cheerful smile on his face. The moment he said that, Chris perked up.

"Bandits? Again? How far away are they?"

"Oh…I'd have to say a couple of miles. My lovely Florina spotted them first." Sain sighed. "Such a beauty that has strength and can still be as charming as a nightingale."

Lyn raised an eye at the cavalier. "Sain…I'm warning you. Don't make her sad or make her cry, okay? Friends, maybe…But don't go too far. Or else I'll make you regret it."

"Oh, of course, lovely Lady Lyndis!" Sain gave a small bow in his saddle, and turned to check on his passenger. Heather smiled faintly at the cavalier before falling asleep again. Chris looked worriedly at the swordswoman before turning to Wil.

"How's the wound look?"

"In a word, horrible. That sword went straight through the arm, you know. Using the limited knowledge I know of injuries like that, along with Lyn's knowledge of herb lore and medicine, I've been able to stop the bleeding. But we need a healer if she wants to regain full use of that arm." Wil spoke up from behind the group, his bow strapped to his back.

"That's just great…" Chris sighed. "Okay, it's getting dark. Let's get some place to stay and fortify it in case of attack." He turned his face to the sky. "YOU HEAR THAT, FLORINA?"

The pegasus knight nodded, and swooped down to hover a couple of feet above Chris's head. "U-Um…F-Find a p-place t-to stay…R-Right? T-There's an abandoned f-fortress a l-little farther away." Florina nodded timidly, stuttering out the information. Her orchid colored hair fluttered in the breeze, flying into her face. She quickly brushed it aside, blushing slightly.

"Thanks Florina." Chris clapped his hands and faced everyone else. "Okay guys. We make tracks for that fortress and see what we can do before the bandits arrive, right?"

"Right." They all nodded.

"Okay, let's go!" Chris dashed off, leaving the rest of the army in his wake. Sain looked at his partner while they rode up behind the tactician.

"What was he saying earlier about being tired?"

"I don't know. Maybe he got a new burst of energy. Tacticians are weird. Remember the one back at the castle?" Kent smiled as he remembered the tactician's antics.

"Oh yeah! He was really funny. And he always held parties for us. I wonder what happened to him. I heard that he left to take care of his son."

"Yes, I am well aware of that. Let's just hope that our current tactician is as good as he seems so far." Kent turned and looked at Chris, whose face was lit up with joy.

An hour later, they reached the fortress. "Boy, this place is a dump." Sain frowned at the sight. The others were forced to agree with him. There was ivy hanging on the walls, and some parts of the wall seemed likely to break with a little maneuvering. Plus, some of the ceiling was also destroyed as well.

"Think of it this way. It's our only shelter." Chris pointed out the fact, and started walking towards the entrance.

"Ah! Suddenly, this place feels so much better!" Sain smiled. "Just look at those sturdy, stone walls! And we get a sky light!"

"Don't go too far, Sain." Chris pushed the gates to the fortress open, and walked inside. "Boy, it's really cold in here."

"Cold? I don't feel that cold." Sain rode in and carefully dismounted, trying not to dislodge his passenger. The brown-haired cavalier slowly lifted her off of the horse and held her in his arms. "Is there a bed in here, or will we have to feel the joy of cockroaches?"

"Be quiet, Sain." Chris said in a dangerous tone. He looked through the crumbling rooms in the castle. "Oy! I found a bed!"

"Oy?" Sain walked up, carrying Heather in his arms. He eyed the bed warily. "Is that a bed, or just a bunch of rats disguised as a bed?"

"It's a bed, Sain!" Chris stamped his foot on the ground angrily. "Come on!"

"Fine, fine! I'm just worried about the sanitation here!" Sain placed Heather on the bed and walked outside. "I'm gonna go scout for a bit, okay? It'll be better if we're aware how close those bandits are!"

"Okay! Good luck!" The tactician waved farewell at the cavalier, and slowly closed the wooden door so Heather wouldn't be disturbed. He felt his sword clank against his thigh, and he suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah! I was going to ask Lyn about how to use this thing!" Chris ran outside, where the others were getting ready for the incoming attack.

"Hey Chris. What are you doing out here?" Kent looked up, a brush in one hand. He ran the brush down his horse's coat, attentively caring for it.

"Do you know where Lyn went?"

"Lady Lyndis? She practicing her swordplay around the side of the castle." Kent pointed. "She seemed quite determined to hold her own in this battle."

"Glad to hear it. I hope you do well also, Kent." Chris waved at Kent as he ran to where Lyn was.

"Hey Lyn! I need to ask you- SHIT!" Chris collapsed on the floor as Lyn's sword passed through where his head was a moment earlier. "I'm going to die!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Chris!" Lyn sheathed her sword and ran up to the shuddering tactician, who was curled up into a ball.

"DON'T…DO THAT, Lyn…" The tactician staggered to his feet, still shaking. "I'm too young to die by a freak accident. Maybe when I'm fifty."

"I'm really sorry about that." Lyn steadied the tactician, who waved her off, still dazed. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Right! I forgot about that! I was wondering if you'd teach me about sword fighting. Since I have this sword here." Chris pulled out the Sange, which shined in the light.

"Where'd you get that?" Lyn took the sword from Chris's hands.

"Ah…Um…Ah…I found it!" Chris stammered out the lie because he didn't want Lyn to know that the priest from the temple gave it to him.

"Hmm…Well, if you say so." Lyn swung it a few times, clearly not believing Chris's explanation. "It's a lot lighter than a normal sword, I'll give you that. You sure you found this somewhere?"

"Uh…Yeah!" Chris nodded vigorously, probably too vigorously.

"Right…" Lyn raised an eye at him. "What do you want to learn how to fight? You're a tactician. Tacticians don't belong on the field of battle."

"But that's with full-scale assaults! Our band right now numbers only seven, including me! I need to be out in the field, seeing how my forces are doing!" Chris spread his arms out wide. "Come on, Lyn."

"Well, fine. As long as you tell me where the sword really came from."

"…Gah. You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"Nope. Not a chance."

"You totally suck.

"Thanks. Now where'd you get it from?"

"Sigh…The bishop from that temple gave it to me."

"There…That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Lyn smiled and handed the sword back to Chris. "Okay, for your first lesson…You actually need to know how to hold a sword. Are you left-handed or right-handed?"

"Uh…Left-handed."

"Okay." Lyn moved to Chris's side and pointed out the locations where the hands should go. "Your sword is a type of katana, okay? They're typically two-handed swords with a longer reach than traditional swords. Since you're left-handed, you want your left hand positioned above your right. Now, come on, let me see you do it."

Chris nervously positioned his hands in the places where Lyn had motioned. "Uh…Like this?"

Lyn clapped her hands. "Good, good. Now, for actual combat…You'll probably need to strengthen your arms a bit. Hmm…Every day, I want you to do at least fifty swings with your sword. They don't all have to be the same swing, although that helps. And don't kill anyone, okay?"

"Uh…Right!" Chris nodded, smiling. He started practicing right away. Lyn smiled at his enthusiasm and walked off to consult Kent about the condition of their weapons.

An hour later, Chris finished with his practice. He carefully slid the sword in its sheath, slightly afraid he might stab himself in the leg. The tactician wiped the sweat off of his forehead and decided to check on Heather. As he was opening the door, however, he heard something moving behind him.

Chris spun around and screamed. "AHHHHH! BANDITS!"

"Bandits? Where?" Lyn and Kent rushed in, holding their swords. Lyn sighed when she saw that the 'bandit' was actually just a young woman.

"Chris? Is your imagination working in overtime today?" Lyn sheathed her sword. "I'm sorry for his actions."

"That's okay." The young woman had brown hair that was tied in pigtails. "I was just wondering what was happening in here." The woman winced and fell against wall.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Chris walked up to her.

"It's…just my leg…My name is Natalie. I've had a problem with my leg for a long time…My husband said he'd get a job to help pay for an operation….But I can't find him. Have you seen him?" The woman pulled out a small picture of her husband. "His name is Dorcas."

"I'm sorry, Natalie." Lyn shook her head. "Hmm…How about I take the picture? If we ever come across him, we can tell him to come back home."

"Thank you very much for your help." Natalie nodded thankfully. "What are your names?"

"This is Kent." Chris pointed to the orange-haired cavalier.

"It is nice to meet you." Kent bowed to Natalie.

"And this is Lyn."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Lyn smiled.

"And I'm Chris." The tactician pointed to himself. "Sorry about calling you a bandit."

"Oh…That's okay." Natalie gasped as another flash of pain flew up her leg.

"You better rest. Come on, we'll put you in our makeshift infirmary." Chris helped Natalie walk into the room where Heather was sleeping.

"Thanks…I can make it on my own." Natalie nodded gratefully and sat down on one of the beds. Chris checked on Heather to make sure nothing seemed wrong, and walked out of the room, closing the door.

"Bandits! We'd better get ready!" Sain rode in on his horse and jumped off. "They should be here in a matter of minutes!"

Florina flew down and dismounted her pegasus. "Y-Yeah…T-They're c-coming…T-There's a l-lot of them…"

"Okay. Here's what we'll do." Chris kneeled on the ground and drew a small map with his finger. "You guys all know that this castle has two entrances, right? I want Sain and Kent to help defend the entrance, and Lyn and Florina will sneak out from the side entrance and combat any bandits we might find there. And as for Wil, I want you up on the battlements, peppering any enemy you see with your arrows. Got it?"

"Haha! All right!" Wil gave a huge smile and started running for the castle battlements, checking his bow for any damage.

"Of course. We will be glad to do our duty." Kent nodded and ran to get his horse. Sain mounted his horse and rode towards the entrance.

"O-Okay…A-As long a-as I'm w-with Lyn…It'll b-be fine." Florina nodded timidly and went to get her pegasus.

"Aw, come on, Florina. You're stronger!" Lyn ran after the pegasus knight, but stopped when Chris halted her.

"Hey, and if you ever find Dorcas, don't forget to tell him to go to Natalie, okay?"

"I won't forget!" Lyn nodded, and chased after Florina.

"Phew…Now I just have to hope everything goes as quickly and smoothly as possible." Chris stood up and brushed the dirt off of his robes. "Hmm…Sain and Kent can handle themselves just fine. And I'm certain that Wil won't get into any trouble up there. Either I stay and help protect Heather and Natalie, or I go out and try to help Florina and Lyn…I better just stay with the injured people. I don't want to see a bandit spring in and kill them." Chris unsheathed his sword. "I can get in some more practice, too!"

The tactician ran back to the infirmary, standing outside of the door and swinging his sword. Sain and Kent stood guard in front of the castle's ruined gates, swords in their hands. Wil was up on the battlements, whistling to himself and testing his bow string. Florina was flying high over the castle, watching as the bandits slowly advanced. And Lyn was pacing in front of the door, getting herself ready for battle.

"There they are! They will pay for messing with the Taliver Bandits!" The man that seemed to be their leader pointed at the castle. "My brothers, kill them all! Make sure nothing remains! Charge!" His fellow warriors rushed at the gates, swinging their axes, full of battle lust.

It was only a matter of minutes until they reached the castle gates, and the battle began.

* * *

Chris: Well, there it is! Anyway….Like I said, I still have openings for original characters in this fic. I would be honored to have OCs of your making in my fic. Of course, once again, no ubarness. So, yeah. Hope you like it, and review please!

Oh, and there is going to be a sequel to this fic where we go to Magvel. Any OCs in this story got to Magvel as well. Just pointing that out. So….Yeah. That's about it!


	8. Fight at the Castle

Chris: Yes, I took abnormally long. Hopefully, I'll pick up the wind for this fic. Anyway, for those you say I took too long, I completely agree with you. And for the person who requested Lyn/Chris, probably not going to happen since I have a no OC/Game character rule. Maybe a little, but probably not a full-blown romance. And maaaaybe werewolves, but I dunno.

Disclaimer: I'm a lazy ass who doesn't update fast enough. I just needed to point that out.

Oh, and I also don't own Fire Emblem.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Fight at the Castle**

Wil was the first person to strike. Running a hand along the smooth wooden shaft of his arrow, he sighted on a swordsman who was creeping to the side of the castle, no doubt ready to exploit the fact that the walls were run-down and ready to collapse. Grinning to himself, he released the arrow and saw it strike the mercenary in the shoulder. He saw the mercenary curse and look around in surprise to see who had shot him.

'_If you didn't want to die…You shouldn't have fought.'_ Wil thought to himself as he loaded another arrow and sighted at the mercenary's chest. Taking a couple of seconds to make sure that he would hit, the brown-haired archer released the arrow and saw it fly into the swordsman's chest and propel him to the ground. Suddenly, however, a return arrow flew above the battlements and Wil ducked and rolled to the side as the arrow landed where his head had been.

Chancing a peek down, he saw another archer watching the walls. _'Dammit. I can't get up without risking getting shot. If only I had a crossbow…That would be small enough to shoot while ducking.' _Wil notched another arrow just to prepare himself and peeked again, prompting another arrow to fly at his face. Memorizing the archer's location in his mind, he quickly stood and launched the arrow hastily. Not bothering to see anything, he notched another arrow to his bow. He didn't hear any sounds from below so he looked around, only to see that he had missed.

'…_Let me try it one last time…'_ Wil breathed deeply before quickly rising and sighting the enemy archer. He released the bowstring and watched as the arrow flew into the archer's neck, killing his foe. Grimacing, Wil continued his vigil on the battlements, too high to hear the sounds of a bandit slowly chipping away at the wall.

_---_

"Sain! Snap it up!" Kent yelled as he swung his sword to quickly slay a bandit that had gotten too close. The orange-haired cavalier grimaced at his partner, who landed a heavy strike against an enemy's axe, cleaving the weapon, and the wielder, in the two.

"Of course, my good sir Kent!" Sain replied, steering his horse out of the way of an axe that was aimed for its head. Sain quickly dispatched that bandit and looked out in front of him, where even more of the axe-wielding bandits were gathered. "Sheesh, it's a good thing we got to the gate in time."

Because the gate only allowed two people in the corridor at one time, Sain and Kent possessed a natural advantage because they didn't have to face a horde of bandits at the same time while the bandits had to file in two-by-two, thus reducing the effectiveness of their forces.

"Harr, keep talking pretty boy!" A gap-toothed brigand, wielding a heavy axe and garbed in nothing more than rags, jumped at Sain. The cavalier parried the brigand's blow and swung back, slashing the bandit across the chest and flinging him to the ground.

"I do not appreciate being called a pretty boy." Sain muttered as he finished off the fallen enemy. He sighed inwardly as another brigand hurled himself at him. _'And I don't like this. These fools think they can win…'_ He quickly disillusioned the attacking bandit from that ideal and looked at his partner, who showed no signs of tiring. "You okay, Kent?"

"I'm just fine. Concentrate on the battle and never abandon your duty!" Kent replied as he dodged an attack. The red-armored cavalier winced as an axe managed to pierce his armor, but he quickly regained his focus and slew the person who had wounded him. "Their numbers are dwindling and we must keep fighting!"

_---_

Lady Lyndis was heading for the side entrance when an axe suddenly flew past her head, colliding against the wall and clattering on the floor. Stifling a curse, she drew her sword and prepared to kill the bandit who dared to attack her. She spun around the corner and stopped, stunned. "Dorcas?"

"How do you know my name?" The bandit, a tall, muscled man with a small brown beard and short brownish-red hair looked at Lyn in confusion. "Unless…"

"Good, I'm right. Dorcas, your wife is in this building! Do you want to attack her?" Lyn shouted, her ponytail whipping behind her head because of the wind.

"Of course not! You people are protecting my wife?" Dorcas ran up to retrieve his fallen weapon. "If so, then I'm on your side."

"Glad to have you!" Lyn smiled. "Huh?"

"L-Lady Lyndis!" Florina cried as she ran towards Lyn, leading her pegasus behind her. The orchid-haired pegasus knight panted when she finally reached her friend. "A-Are you okay?"

"I'm just fine, Florina." Lyn smiled at her friend and patted her on the shoulder. "Thanks for asking. Oh, and before I forget…" She motioned to the newest recruit. "This is Dorcas."

Florina seemed to shrink slightly, hiding behind her pegasus. "I-It's nice to m-meet you."

"…" Dorcas nodded in reply. The fighter departed the castle, intent on clearing the area of any enemy brigands. Lyn and Florina quickly heard sounds of fighting and they rushed outside to help, only to find out that Dorcas had already dispatched the foe and was relieving the corpse of its weapon.

"Doesn't talk much, but he gets the job done." Lyn muttered to herself. "Okay, let's just wait here. If the bandits have any reinforcements, which they most likely do, we can't discount the fact that they may appear at the side entrance. If none show up, I'll proceed to sneak behind and kill the bandit leader. You two stay back and protect this exit, okay?"

Dorcas nodded, watching their surroundings. "Okay."

"S-Sure, Lyn…" Florina nodded fearfully, clutching her lance in a death grip as she slowly mounted her pegasus now that they were in open air. "B-Be careful when you do."

"Of course, Florina." Lyn grinned. "Wouldn't do to get killed here, now would it?"

_---_

"Gulp…I have no idea what the hell I'm doing…" Chris muttered uncertainly to himself as he placed a hand on his sword hilt, standing in front of their makeshift infirmary. "I can't use a sword well at all and I'm standing here on guard duty. I am a tactician. This does not bode well whatsoever."

The nervous black-haired boy jumped as he heard something crack behind him. Whirling behind him, he saw it was nothing. "Okay, okay…Just my imagination…" He whispered to himself, the sound of his voice calming him down, albeit only slightly. Chris breathed deeply, trying to calm himself so that he wouldn't be so nervous and thus not hurt himself while he was handling his sword.

'_I still have no idea why that bishop guy gave this sword to me.'_ Chris thought to himself, his dark-green robes brushing on the ground. He took in another deep breath and continued pacing in front of the door. "I just hope no one gets this deep…" The moment he said that, he knew his hopes would be dashed, for standing in front of him was a tall, unshaved man holding a humongous axe in his hands.

'_Damn it all.'_ Chris quickly drew his sword, although his hands were shaking and his posture was to say the least, inelegant. "S-Stay away! I don't want to have to hurt you!"

"Harr harr! A young whelp like you thinks he can boss around me?" The brigand let out another laugh before raising his axe. "We'll see if I can cut you down to size!" He swung at the young tactician, who brought his sword up to counter. Unused to fighting as Chris was, the vibrations from the collision traveled through his hands and almost made him drop his sword.

The tactician staggered backwards, stunned by the amount of power that his foe had put into his first attack. "I-I said stop!" He brought his sword back up again, but he was shaking with fright.

"Make me, kid!" The brigand attacked again and Chris jumped to the side, avoiding the attack. As quickly as he could, he swung his sword at the bandit's side. He saw the sword pass through skin and flesh and a small part of him hoped that he had won. But obviously, he hadn't.

"That's it! I don't care if you're a kid, you're going to die!" The bandit, now enraged, raised his axe high above his head, intent on decapitating the young tactician. Chris threw all rational thought from his head and just blindly stabbed forward, his eyes closed.

The black-haired boy waited for the pain, waiting for the axe to cleave into his body. But he felt nothing. Slowly opening his eyes, the tactician saw that he had struck first, with his sword, Sange, firmly lodged in the bandit's stomach. His enemy gave a few strangled gurgles before collapsing on the ground, wrenching the sword out of Chris's grip.

The young tactician looked at the fallen body in front of him, nudging the corpse slightly with the toe of his boot. When he saw that the brigand was dead, he gave a sigh of relief and then collapsed on the floor, overcome with crying and shaking.

'_Why am I crying?'_ He thought to himself as he continued to shake. Tears kept flowing from his eyes even as he tried to stem them from popping out. The tactician rubbed his eyes forcefully and tried to stop himself from crying, but every time he would try, the image of the brigand would come back and he would be stricken with another wave of shaking. Finally, however, all the adrenaline that had been powering his body drained away and he slipped into unconsciousness.

_---_

"Looks like the first wave is done." Kent commented. "Do you want to stay here to guard or should we go out?"

"I say we go out." Sain replied. "While it would probably be easier to just stay in our defensive positions, the only way we'll truly eliminate these brigands is if we were to head for their field and defeat them there." The green-armored cavalier looked at his friend.

"You're making sense, Sain. It's making me nervous." Kent said, smiling slightly to show that it was just a joke. "Come on, let's go." He nudged his horse forward out of the bloodied gates of the castle.

"Right behind you, my boon companion!" Sain brushed back some of his sweaty brown hair and followed his partner outside.

"Hey, hey! Wait for me!" Wil ran after them, clutching his bow under his shoulder. "You can't forget about me!" The brown-haired archer halted in front of Kent, panting heavily. "How could you guys leave without telling me?"

"I didn't think you'd want to come." Kent commented, looking at the winded archer. "Are you certain it was safe to leave the castle undefended?"

"Oh, shoot!" Wil straightened. "Well, Chris is always there and we killed everyone else that was attacking, right?" He looked thoughtful for a couple of moments. "I can't help but think that there might have been something that I missed."

_---_

"So you're the leader of this pack of outlaws and misfits!" Lyn yelled at the only bandit left. "Just like one of you filth to remain in the back!" She drew her mystical sword, the Mani Katti, and pointed it at the bandit. "I care not for your name, but just for your death!"

"What are you talking about?" The leader cried. "I am Carjiga and I'm not alone! Come on boys, attack!" He raised his axe and suddenly more bandits sprung out from the foliage and advanced on Lyn.

The swordswoman immediately knew she was in trouble. However skilled she was, there would be no chance for her against five-on-one odds. Still, there was a chance she could lower the odds against her and somehow come out on top. She brought her sword in a defensive stance, careful to make sure that nobody attacked on her blind side.

"Milady!"

Lyn spun, distracted by the sound. As she spun, one of the bandits took his chance and leaped at her with his axe. However, before he could even get close, Kent rode in at full speed and impaled the attacking bandit with his sword. Close behind him, Sain trampled into one of the bandits and immediately slew another. And finally, a small shower of arrows rained on another, thus eliminating all but one of the threats posed to Lyn.

The green-haired Sacaen quickly dispatched the final brigand and faced the leader, who had begun to sweat. Lyn grinned at her friends. "Thanks a lot. I really needed your help."

"It was only our duty, Milady." Kent said, dismounting from his horse and kneeling before Lyn. "I can only apologize for not arriving faster."

"Hehe, well, I did my best!" Wil ran up, a wide smile on his face. "That's all I can do, right?" He stretched and massaged his fingers. "Pretty good shot."

"Even if I had to plow through a million of these ruffians, I would still race to be by your side, my beautiful Lady Lyn!" Sain crowed, grinning widely. "Even if it were for millions of miles, I would still fight by your side!"

"Thank you all." Lyn smiled warmly and patted Kent on the shoulder. "Come on, you don't need to bow towards me. The point is that you arrived on time." She turned and faced Carjiga. "I believe you're alone now. Do you have the guts to fight?"

"Grrr….You'll pay for that, wench!" The black-bearded man rushed wildly forward with his axe, screaming a battle cry at the top of his lungs.

Lyn just stood there, her hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword. Her eyes were closed and she slowly withdrew her weapon. _'Strike!'_ Her eyes snapped open and she swung her sword horizontally straight across Carjiga's chest. The Mani Katti ripped a huge, bloody line from one side of his body to his other, but the berserk brigand just kept coming.

Jumping back to avoid a swing, she danced around the slower man, her sword appearing where he expected it least. Finally, she thrust forward, her sword piercing through his body until it appeared on the other side. She dispassionately withdrew her sword from the corpse and looked at the others. "Come on, we're done here. Let's go see if Dorcas and Florina are okay. We'll report back to Chris and find out where we'll go next."

_---_

"Hahahaha…Can you believe it? My first battle and I fainted right afterwards." Chris said weakly. The black-haired tactician faced the other members of their little group. "I've gotta say that I'm not cut out for this stuff…Especially with all the killing…" He bowed his head and looked at the ground, his hands clasped together.

Kent and Sain shared a glance. Kent walked up to the tactician and patted him on the back silently before retiring to the stables to take care of his horse and weapons.

Sain, being the talkative one out of the pair, shook Chris by the shoulder. "Hey, I know what it's like. I can only give my condolences and I hope that you won't have to go through it again." He walked off to the stables as well.

"I guess those two are right. I killed someone, but that doesn't mean I have to keep moping about it." He clapped his hands and stood, his eyes slightly shadowed but sparkling with their usual enthusiasm. "So, how'd it go?"

"The bandits were defeated, Dorcas was found, and all in all, we did really well." Lyn smiled and gestured to the infirmary. "Heather is doing better as well and Natalie was overjoyed to hear that we had found her husband."

"Heh, that's good." Chris brushed back some of his scruffy hair. "Well, we'll sack out here for another night before leaving. We'd better get to the road. Every day we stall is another day that your wicked uncle schemes for the throne." He unclasped his cloak and laid it on a wooden table nearby. "Sheesh, that thing is so restricting sometimes."

Lyn settled down in a seat and made sure there was no one nearby. No one was, because Dorcas was busy talking to his wife, Florina had decided to go out for a reconnaissance, and Sain and Kent were in the stables. Wil had left to whittle some arrows and Heather, while recovering, was still unconscious. "Hey Chris."

"Yeah?" He adjusted the collar of his shirt, grumbling slightly. "What's up?"

"When you were fighting the bandit, why didn't you change into a vampire?" Lyn asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'm just curious. If you have changed into one, you would have been able to defeat the guy in a second, right?"

"Maybe…" The tactician gave her a strange look. "I just didn't want to. There are times when I need to change and that wasn't one of those times. I have control over my desires, Lyn. I don't change every time I fight."

Lyn flushed. "Sorry for asking."

"It's okay. I've often wondered about it myself." Chris mumbled. "I'm going to sleep. Don't wake me for dinner. I'm not hungry." He walked to where the beds were located and while he stood straight, Lyn could see that he stumbled sometimes and seemed to be in a haze.

'_Well, if he has a problem, he can always talk to us.'_ Lyn thought to herself. She headed for the stables where Sain and Kent were located. It would be a good idea to sharpen her weapons as well and besides, their company would be most appreciated.

_---_

Chris stumbled into his room, sighing deeply. He collapsed on a ratty mattress nearby and closed his eyes, trying to get all thoughts of the battle out of his head. The tactician turned, unable to find the peace of sleep. He continued to toss and turn for a while before proclaiming that it was impossible for him to be able to sleep.

'_What can I do?'_ Chris looked around for something to occupy him and tire him out so that he could sleep easier. His gaze fell to the sword he had strapped to his waist. Slowly withdrawing it from its sheath, Chris looked at the cold steel that could decide whether or not someone would live or die. The person who wielded such a weapon could not only protect himself, but also enforce his actions upon others. Perhaps…

Taking a deep breath, he positioned himself in a comfortable position with the sword held diagonally in front of him. He raised his sword high above his head and brought it down. Breathing in again, he repeated the motion.

'_Perhaps…I will one day be able to do what I command others to do. Perhaps I can fight.'_

* * *

Chris: Even if you don't believe me, I am truly sorry for the huge delay in getting this fic updated. I've just been involved in so many different things that I haven't had enough time to work on everything. Thanks to Geb, Dias of All Final, and Min the Noodle for submitting characters.

If you want to submit your own OC, be my guest. I would love to have another OC in the story. E-mail me if you wish to submit one. Oh, and to those who have an OC, do you mind if I partner you with my own OCs or put you with FE characters? If so, just tell me. If not, I'll probably have some snippets of romance for the OCs.

Thank you for your time and review please.


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